clinical trails, conflicts of interest

"if professional societies and medical institutions do not demonstrate vigorous self- regulation and a commitment to keeping patients interests paramount, public trust may diminish, and more external regulation may be imposed" (Bernard Lo)

"Particularly attention must be paid when researchers offer some medical benefit that can be integrated easily into a course of treatment. Although subjects in these trials are offered a treatment of unproven efficacy, many mistakenly believe that they are receiving cutting-edge treatment guaranteed to improve their condition. This therapeutic misconception may be reinforced when subjects receive the experimental treatment from the same physician who has administered all of their care in the past, in contrast to being referred to a clinical investigator located in an academic setting with a reputation for conducting research" (Karine Morine, et al)

• Article (*.pdf): Managing conflicts of interest in the conduct of clinical trials (2002)
• Article (*.pdf): The future of conflicts of interest: A call for professional standards (2012)

photo: (*) Photosolde
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winter is coming and there's no bed in hospital that can resist it

The Nuffield Trust is looking closely at some of the big issues behind pressure on the NHS in winter months. Prof John Appleby Director of Research and Chief Economist presents some solutions:

• For some hospitals, the answer is simple: providing more beds and more staff will help them weather the storm through winter.
• For most others, recording bed occupancy in real time rather than taking a snapshot each day will help them to better coordinate the flow of patients.
• And for virtually all, reducing delays once patients are medically fit to leave hospital is essential.

Recent articles to look forward by Nuffield Trust and The Health Foundation in relation to winter pressures:

1) Winter bed pressures (2016)
2) How to help health care flow to winter pressures (different materials) 

and the Report of the Health Committee appointed by the House of Commons to examine the policy, administration and expenditure of the Department of Health and its associated bodies

3) 3rd Report - Winter pressure in accident and emergency department (2016)

Photo: Aaron Harris / Reuters (2014)
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