Clin Med
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It is widely assumed by the general public that if assisted suicide (AS) or euthanasia (VE) were legalised doctors must be essentially involved in the whole process including prescribing the medication and (in euthanasia) administering it. This paper explores some reasons for this assumption and argues that it flatly contradicts what it means to be a doctor. The paper is thus not mainly concerned with the ethics of AS/VE but rather with the concept of a doctor that has evolved since the time of Hippocrates to current professional guidance reflected in healthcare law. The paper argues that the most common recent argument for AS/VE--that patients have a right to control when and how they die--in fact points to the involvement not of doctors but of legal agencies as decision makers plus technicians as agents.
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Morbidity and mortality from pneumonia is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Factors contributing to this have been recently identified and a number of recommendations have been implemented in an attempt to reverse this trend. ⋯ In the study population, immunisation rates against influenza and pneumococcus have improved to 86% and 65%, oral steroid consumption has halved and disease modifying drugs were usually appropriately suspended during acute infection. These measures may now merit more widespread adoption.
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The European Working Time Directive (EWTD) has resulted in large changes in the working patterns of junior doctors in the U. K. All consultant physicians in England and Wales were invited to anonymously submit data on their teams for 11 am and 11 pm on 5 November 2009. ⋯ Trainees were available for training 66-80% of the time. These findings have significant implications for patient safety and quality of medical training in the U. K.