The BMJ Podcast BMJ Podcasts

The Paris games have just started - and France has made a concerted effort to ensure that this year's Olympics will have a legacy of physical activity for the whole population.
However, mega sporting events don't always have that effect, and Fiona Bull, head of physical activity for the WHO, joins us to explain why it's increasingly important that they do.
We'll also hear from Professor Sir Denis Perera Gray about how a lifetime of general practice, and why continuity needs to be at the heart of any improvement to primary care.
Finally, Harry Brunjes went from being a village GP to the chair of English National Opera, and explains what the two careers have in common.
 
Reading list
Olympic Games: linking sports mega events to population physical activity

We celebrate 10 years of patient and public partnership strategy at The BMJ with a patient-centred podcast.We ask how should the new Labour government engage patients in shaping the future of the NHS. We also dive into the concepts of social care and peer support, and learn from Brazil's experience in social participation.
Highlights:
01:52 - The Patient "takeover"05:43 - Social care with Charlotte Augst19:53 - Peer support groups with Claire Reid and Partha Kar31:48 - WHO’s resolution on social participation with Mark Barone
Reading:Editor's Choice - Listening to patients at all levels of healthcare, Emma Doble, patient editor

Women's Health, breast cancer screening, epidurals, and GP voices
New U.S. guideline on breast cancer screening  have been extended to women in their 40s -  Katy Bell, from the University of Sydney, and Stacy Carter, from the University of Wollongong explain why the good intention of that change wont be mirrored in outcomes - and may even induce harm.
Research in The BMJ shows epidurals during labour can reduce severe maternal morbidity Rachael Kearns describes why analgesia may improve those outcomes, and why some myths about epidurals may be reducing their usage.
Lastly,  a GP confronts the Prime Minister on the disintegration of the NHS and its effects on general practitioners.
 
02:23 Breast cancer screening guidelines
14:00 Epidurals and maternal morbidity
26:42 A GP confronts the Prime Minister 
 
Reading list:
Breast cancer screening from age 40 in the US
Epidural analgesia during labour and severe maternal morbidity: population based study
GP who confronted Rishi Sunak received “hundreds” of supportive messages from doctors

As increasing numbers of mammalian, and human, cases of H5N1 are documented we askShould we worry about a growing threat from “bird flu”?  Wendy Barclay, from Imperial college London, and Christopher Dye, from Oxford University join us to explain why they think we should.
Our commission on the future of the NHS has released a manifesto for a sustainable NHS that still meets it's founding principles. Helen Salisbury, GP and BMJ columnist, joins the podcast to lay it out.
Finally, a musical interlude from the World Doctor's Orchestra.
 
00:18 H5N1 Bird Flu: Rising Threat
15:35 The manifesto for a better NHS
27:46 World Doctors' Orchestra
 
Reading list;
BMJ Editorial - Should we worry about a growing threat from “bird flu”?
BMJ Opinion - A manifesto for a healthier NHS, a healthier UK
https://www.world-doctors-orchestra.org
 
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In the UK, a general election has been called - and around the world, ½ the global population will be voting this year; so in this episode we’ll be talking about how elections and health intersect.
Firstly, what are the UK parties’ plans for health? Abi Rimmer, The BMJ's UK features editor joins us with the latest information.
The world’s largest democracy is polling, so how are Indian politicians talking about health?  Sanjay Nagral, surgeon and director of the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre in Mumbai takes us through the campaign promises.
And finally, Jody Heymann is founding director of the WORLD Policy Analysis Center at UCLA and explains why this is the most consequential US election for woman's health in a generation.
 

01:30 Election Fever and NHS Plans
07:35 Impact of Elections on Health in India
21:20 Women's Health in the US Elections
 
Reading list
Feature: The untold health toll of voting
Editorial: Workplace rights around pregnancy and childbirth

With the anticipation of a new government in the UK, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting will hit the ground running - with a winter season (and it's inevitable crisis) and ongoing industrial desputes with junior doctors. Elisabeth Mahase ask him about his plans to handle these challenges if elected.
We also find our selves in the puzzling situation of potential GP unemployment in the UK despite a high demand for primary care doctors, Helen Salisbury, GP and columnist for The BMJ explains how we've got into this situation.
Finally, Peter Doshi has been looking at the financial entanglement of FDA heads with the companies they are regulating - 9 of the previous 10 FDA heads have gone on to work for industry in some respect. He has also investigated how complex financial instruments can make these conflicts more opaque.
02:03 Anticipating a New Government and the NHS Winter Crisis10:50 The Kafkaesque Dilemma of GP Unemployment23:10 FDA Leaders' Financial Entanglements: A Deep Dive
Reading list
Workforce and winter under Labour: Wes Streeting on his plan for the NHS
Helen Salisbury: No jobs for GPs—we’ll be missed when we’re gone
Revolving doors: board memberships, hedge funds, and the FDA chiefs responsible for regulating industry