Search

Wellbeing – a Scandinavian perspective

The Swedish concept of ‘fika’ is a state of mind and can help to promote wellbeing in teams. But what is it, and how can it help? It is an interesting thought that being well is not the same as...

Is one glass of wine on call safe?

It’s a standard question for those about to sit a Specialist Training (ST) interview; you are on call and you call a senior colleague in to perform an operation. You smell alcohol on the breath of the surgeon, so what...

Diagnosis, wearables and remote monitoring in 15 and 50 years

In 2069 will we look forward to being enslaved by robots, becoming zombies or having our health (and ill health) diagnosed by nanotech? Ajith George muses over what the future holds for us all. The future of healthcare, not just...

Translating research – transforming lives: the BACO 2020 academic programme

The main attraction of any conference or event is, of course, the academic programme of lectures, workshops and education. Hisham Mehanna, BACO 2020 Academic Chair, and Paul Nankivell, Academic Vice Chair, give us an overview of what to expected in...

The development of endoscopic sinus surgery – a meeting of three great minds

The story of the development of endoscopic sinus surgery is inextricably linked with the names of Stammberger, Messerklinger and Storz. Karl Storz’s daughter, Sybill Storz, tells us more. We would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation of...

Congenital cytomegalovirus causing deafness in children: an update

Congenital CMV is the leading non-genetic cause of sensorineural hearing loss in children. Keith Trimble draws our attention to this and gives a comprehensive guide on diagnosis and treatment. Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is common, affecting 1% of all newborns,...

The ups and downs of overseas research – the inner ear at altitude

Conducting research at extreme altitude presents unique challenges. This study of the inner ear at 5350m navigates setbacks in a quest for scientific discovery. Having completed a diploma in mountain medicine in my foundation years, I decided to undertake a...

Kallmann’s Syndrome

‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.’ (Shakespeare) Kallmann’s Syndrome (KS), or hereditary hypogonadal anosmia, is a rare genetic disorder characterised by delayed or absent puberty and anosmia. It is named after Franz Kallmann, but he was...

PLUM: using parent observations to identify persistent otitis media

Can parent observations help identify persistent otitis media sooner? PLUM uses everyday listening behaviours to flag children who may need urgent specialist care. Otitis media (OM) remains one of the most persistent health inequities facing Indigenous children globally. While prevalence...

Communicating with patients in 
‘Plain English’

Physicians have long been accused of using unnecessarily complicated language and impenetrable jargon as a way of maintaining their status, prestige and high earnings-potential, bamboozling the public and excluding them from meaningful discussion as part of what George Bernard Shaw...