Medicine and Science from The BMJ

The BMJ published a negative result this week. A new trial focuses on a peer support intervention for improving breastfeeding rates in the UK, but finds no major improvement. We hear from the lead author who tells us what went wrong, and the insights that can still be drawn from apparent ‘failures’.

Next we turn our eyes to shisha smoking in the UK. With shisha or “hookah” cafes on the rise, we explore the smoking habit in more detail. What are the effects on health? And why are UK laws poor at regulating the practice?

 

Kate Jolly is professor of public health and primary care at the University of Birmingham.

Zainab Hussain is a UK-based freelance journalist writing on behalf of The BMJ.

Links:

Peer support intervention (ABA-feed) to improve breastfeeding: UK based, multicentre, parallel group, randomised controlled trial

Shisha tobacco’s availability is rising. Why does UK smoking policy fail to tackle it?

The UK Covid Inquiry released Module Three of its findings this month. It lays out in startling detail the lived experiences of NHS staff and patients who bore through the pandemic. In the report’s words: ‘healthcare systems coped with the pandemic, but only just’.
The BMJ speaks to Kevin Fong, anaesthetist lead for major incidence planning at UCL hospitals, to break down Module Three’s most important takeaways.
And, invasive surgical cosmetic procedures are on the rise in the UK, with regulation patchy at best. From botox and fillers, to tummy tucks and breast surgeries, we hear about the gaps in patient protections that leave space for harm.

Kevin Fong is a consultant anaesthetist, broadcaster, and anaesthetist lead for major incidence planning at UCL hospitals.
Danielle Griffiths is an author and lecturer at the University of Liverpool’s School of Law.
Alexandra Mullock is an author and senior lecturer in medical law at the University of Manchester.

UK Covid Inquiry Module Three Report

Regulating invasive cosmetic procedures to reduce harm | The BMJ

The Gulf states are not large producers of pharmaceuticals or healthcare products - but the oil they supply, and the transport infrastructure they have built, are key components in a worldwide logistical network that underpin all of the pharmaceutical and other medical consumables we use.

From critical NHS shortages like Bone Cement for orthopedic surgery, to persistent IV fluid supply crises plaguing Australian hospitals, we discuss how the conflict in Iran will affect fragile healthcare logistics.

Joining us today are 

Mark Dayan, Brexit programme lead at the Nuffield Trust) on NHS procurement problems 

Anny Huang, doctor and journalist in Brisbane,on the three-year  IV fluid shortages in Australia.

Prashant Yadav a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, on the potential global effects of the Iranian conflict on international supply chains.

Reading list

Global bone cement shortage: NHS could cancel or delay knee and hip operations

How Australia survived a sudden shortage of IV fluids

Where the Iran War Could Disrupt Pharmaceutical Supply Chains

The lure of health influencers and AI chat bots is strong. More and more people are placing trust in them to answer their health problems, misplaced trust - as we know these AIs can misinform.

At the same time, people are struggling to access the NHS, and when they do doctors have little time or the right tools to unpick complicated science, and challenge misunderstandings.

So in this roundtable, we’re asking, are we in danger of the NHS making the problem of misinformation worse, and what can we do to combat that.

Joining Kamran Abbasi, the BMJ’s editor in chief are:

Deborah Cohen: Freelance Journalist; Senior Visiting Fellow at LSE Health

Kamila Hawthorne: Chair of the National Academy for Social Prescribing

Nnena Osuji: Consultant haematologist and CEO of North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

Chapters

[00:00] The rise of health influencers

[03:55] Patient satisfaction and the NHS

[05:58] The "Infodemic" and clinical impact

[11:04] Digital literacy and health inequalities

[16:40] Questions from the audience

 

Reading list:

Cohen D. Bad Influence: How the Internet Hijacked Our Health. Oneworld Publications; 2026.

Satisfaction with NHS hits record low, but public still back founding principles - The BMJ

In this episode, Dr Katie Bramall, Chair of the BMA’s General Practitioners Committee, joins the podcast to discuss her concerns surrounding the new GP contract imposed by the UK government.

GP contract overhaul: What's included and how has it been received?

Helen Salisbury: Another imposed GP contract