Medicine and Science from The BMJ

Rethinking caesarean delivery

Caesarean delivery can improve maternal and child health, and even save lives. But recent research points to latent risks for chronic disease: children delivered by caesarean have a higher incidence of type diabetes, obesity, and asthma.
Jan Blustein, from New York University, joins us to discuss why she and colleage Jainmeng Liu believe this evidence should be examined and taken into account when considering elective caesarean.
Read their full analysis:
http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2410

Methodological gloss won’t fix a rubbish evidence base

Information on the effectiveness and safety of healthcare should be valid, precise, up to date, clear, and freely available. Currently none of these criteria are fully satisfied, and Cochrane systematic reviews are not the solution.
Ian Roberts, co-director of the clinical trials unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, joins us to describe what the Cochrane Injuries Group is doing to address some of these problems.
Read the full analysis article:
http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2463

They want to say something on health . . . so what can you fish up?

In Glaziers and Window Breakers: the Role of the Secretary of State for Health in Their Own Words, published by the Health Foundation, Nicholas Timmins and Edward Davies find out what 10 of our recent health secretaries think the job is about.
Read the feature on The BMJ
http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2954

bmj.com at 20

The BMJ website is 20 years old this week - the first general medical journal online. Launch editor Tony Delamothe discusses with fellow digital pioneers Richard Smith and John Sack how the internet transformed doctors’ reading habits and the journal’s international reach. David Payne reports
www.bmj.com/twenty

The BMJ requires data sharing on request for all trials

The movement to make data from clinical trials widely accessible has achieved enormous success, and it is now time for medical journals to play their part. From 1 July The BMJ will extend its requirements for data sharing to apply to all submitted clinical trials, not just those that test drugs or devices.
The BMJ's Elizabeth Loder explains what this means for authors, and how we expect researchers to make their data available.
Read the full editorial:
http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2373

ADHD in childhood - diagnosis

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, presents with persistent symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity causing impairment in multiple settings. It is a disorder that attracts considerable debate and controversy.
The this part of this podcast, focused on the diagnosis of ADHD, two of the authors of the review, Mina Fazel, consultant psychiatrist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Nienke Verkuijl, specialty trainee at the University of Oxford and Rachel, a parent of a child who has a diagnosis of ADHD.
Read the full review:
http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2168
Listen to the second part of the podcast:
https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/adhd-in-childhood-treatment

ADHD in childhood - treatment

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, presents with persistent symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity causing impairment in multiple settings. It is a disorder that attracts considerable debate and controversy.
The this part of this podcast, focused on the treatment of ADHD, two of the authors of the review, Mina Fazel, consultant psychiatrist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Nienke Verkuijl, specialty trainee at the University of Oxford and Rachel, a parent of a child who has a diagnosis of ADHD.
Read the full review:
http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2168
Listen to the second part of the podcast:
https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/adhd-in-childhood-diagnosis

Speech difficulties in preschool children

Speech and language therapists Cristina McKean and Angela Morgan join us to discuss their clinical review "Identifying and managing common childhood language and speech impairments", published on thebmj.com.
They talk about the prevalence, the steps to take if parents believes their child has a speech problem, and the importance of knowing which resources are locally available to support children.
Read the full review:
http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2318

Infectious mononucleosis FAQs

Paul Lennon, a specialist registrar at University Hospital Limerick, and Michael Crotty, general practitioner from the Synergy Medical Clinic in Canada, join Emma Parish to answer some frequently asked questions about infectious mononucleosis.
Read their full clinical review:
http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h1825

The health debate - the analysis

The future of health and social care looks certain to be a defining issue in the forthcoming UK general election. Social care has been subject to deep public spending cuts, raising concerns about the sustainability of services in the future. Whoever wins the next election will need to grapple with providing joined up health and social care services in an era of continued austerity.
A recent debate (heathdebate.net) with key spokespeople from across the political spectrum took place this week, and we assembled a panel of experts to discuss how they think the debate went, and the key promises and gaps in the parties plans for the NHS.
Taking part were:
Fiona Godlee, editor in chief of The BMJ
Jeremy Taylor - chief executive of National Voices
Johnny Marshall - director of policy at the NHS Confederation
Jane Dacre - president of the Royal College of Physicians
Anita Charlesworth - chief economist at the Health Foundation
Mark Porter - chair of council at the BMA
Nigel Edwards - chief executive of the Nuffield Trust
Chris Ham - chief executive of The King's Fund
For more analysis of the election's health promises, read Gareth Iacobucci's Election Watch column: http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2165