Medicine and Science from The BMJ

GAVI in Ghana

BMJ features editor Rebecca Coombes finds out more about a new pneumococcal vaccine being rolled out in Ghana. And David Payne meets Kenneth Kizer, the US doctor who transformed the failing Veteran’s Health Administration and took on the tobacco industry in California.

Anti vaccination movements

Paul Offit, the author of the yes side of our head to head article "Should childhood vaccination be mandatory", joins us to discuss his book Deadly Choices: How the anti-vaccine movement threatens us all, and explains why he thinks it is wrong to refuse to accept patients who haven't been vaccinated.Also, in the month when UK prime minister David Cameron said dementia care is a “national crisis” and that he is making it one of his personal priorities, Marcel Olde Rikkert, professor in geriatrics at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands, discusses his research which looks at the relative effectiveness of dementia follow up care by either dedicated memory clinics or general practitioners.

Doctors on strike

It's the first time doctors have been polled for strike action since 1975, and we've heard a lot about the moral arguments of doing so, but what about the practicalities? Edward Davies, BMJ Careers editor, talked to Mark Porter, chair of the BMA's consultant committee, about how he thinks doctors can balance industrial action and patient safety.Also this week, Richard Hurley finds out why Sam Shuster, emeritus professor of dermatology at the University of Newcastle, thinks drug testing for athletes is illogical and immoral.

It’s time to say sorry

In this weeks podcast BMJ features editor Rebecca Coombes reports from Risky Business, the patient safety conference held in London last week. She talks to Loretta Evans, a mother who lost her son because of medical negligence, and about her fight to receive an apology from the hospital. Dr Liliane Field, medicolegal adviser at the Medical Protection Society, talks about the importance of a genuine apology, and what doctors should do if they feel prevented from doing so.

Are statins still safe?

Keith Fox, president of the British Cardiovascular Society, and Rory Collins, co-director of the University of Oxford's Clinical Trial Service Unit and Epidemiological Studies Unit, discuss the safety of statins, and how clever prescribing can overcome worries about myopathy. Also this week, Tony Delamothe, BMJ deputy editor, explains why the sudden interest in atrial fibrillation is making him queasy.

Herpes simplex encephalitis

This week we look at herpes simplex encephalitis, an easily missed central nervous system infection which can have serious consequences.Our practice editor Mabel Chew discusses the features of the illness with Tom Solomon, professor of neurological science at Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool. And podcast producer Duncan Jarvies gets advice on diagnosis from Adam Zeman, professor of cognitive and behavioural neurology at Peninsular Medical School.

Research free for all?

For the last year a group commissioned by the UK government has been looking at whether making all published research freely available is attainable or not. BMJ editor Fiona Godlee speaks to Dame Janet Finch, the group's chair, about its conclusions.We also bring you highlights from a BMJ hosted round table on what the landscape of research publishing could, and should, look like in the future.

The future of secondary care - full roundtable

With changes to the NHS such as cuts, competition and tendering, secondary care will need to adapt. Joining BMJ features editor Rebecca Coombes to discuss how, are:Yi Mien Koh, chief executive of Whittington Health, LondonJan Filochowski, chief executive of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS TrustFergus Gleeson, divisional director of Critical Care, Theatres, Diagnostics and Pharmacy at Oxford University HospitalsNigel Edwards, senior fellow at the King’s FundDerek Greatorex, chair of the South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commissioning GroupKate Hall, policy advisor, Monitor, LondonThis is the full version of the roundtable. See the podcast above for highlights.

The future of secondary care

The healthcare landscape in the England is shifting, with cuts, competition and tendering some of the major changes. Secondary care must adapt to these, but how? Joining BMJ features editor Rebecca Coombes to discuss the issues are:Yi Mien Koh, chief executive of Whittington Health, LondonJan Filochowski, chief executive of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS TrustFergus Gleeson, divisional director of Critical Care, Theatres, Diagnostics and Pharmacy at Oxford University HospitalsNigel Edwards, senior fellow at the King’s FundDerek Greatorex, chair of the South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commissioning GroupAnd BMJ practice editor Mabel Chew talks to Ruth Reed (specialty registrar in child and adolescent psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford) and Mina Fazel (postdoctoral research fellow, Warneford Hospital Oxford) about why post-traumatic stress disorder is easily missed, and what clinicians should look out for.

Obama’s healthcare reforms on trial

Barack Obama saw his Affordable Care Act remain law last week, as the US Supreme Court ruled it is constitutional. Ed Davies (BMJ US news and features editor) talks to Janice Hopkins Tanne (freelance journalist based in New York) about the ruling’s implications.And what are the options for tackling childhood obesity? Li Ming Wen (research and evaluation manager at Sydney University) believes intervention needs to be early, and has demonstrated that giving new mothers simple nutrition messages reduces their child’s BMI at age two. BMJ assistant editor Helen MacDonald speaks to him.