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Poll archive

Current poll

Should we sequence everyone's genome?
India: Should sportsmen be allowed to promote alcohol brands on their sports kit?
US: Have the benefits of influenza vaccines been oversold?

Polls in 2013

  • Should governments introduce plain packets for cigarettes?
    Yes 717 (72%)
    No 285 (28%)
    Total votes cast 1002
    Read the related article
  • India: Is it ethical for doctors to take gifts from drug companies?
    Yes 49 (25%)
    No 147 (75%)
    Total votes cast 196
    Read the related article
  • US: Should governments introduce plain packets for cigarettes?
    Yes 68 (54%)
    No 59 (46%)
    Total votes cast 127
    Read the related article
  • US: Should everyone aged 15 - 64 be screened for HIV infection?
    Yes 84 (63%)
    No 49 (37%)
    Total votes cast 133
    Read the related article
  • Should everyone aged 15 - 64 be screened for HIV infection?
    Yes 572 (49%)
    No 600 (51%)
    Total votes cast 1172
    Read the related article
  • Should the legal age for buying tobacco be raised to 21?
    Yes 848 (80%)
    No 216 (20%)
    Total votes cast 1064
    Read the related article
  • US: Should the legal age for buying tobacco be raised to 21?
    Yes 137 (71%)
    No 57 (29%)
    Total votes cast 194
    Read the related article
  • India: Can we leave industry to lead efforts to improve population health?
    Yes 11 (24%)
    No 34 (76%)
    Total votes cast 45
    Read the related article
  • Do patients need to know they are terminally ill?
    Yes 1,026 (87.5%)
    No 146 (12.5%)
    Total votes cast 1,172
    Read the related head to head Yes:No
  • US: Should breast cancer drugs be offered to healthy but high risk women?
    Yes: 52 (36%)
    No: 94 (64%)
    Total votes cast 146
    Read the related article
  • Can we leave industry to lead efforts to improve population health?
    Yes: 72 (11%)
    No: 594 (89%)
    Total votes cast 666
    Read the related article
  • US: Will the sequester change your practice?
    Yes: 31 (42%)
    No: 43 (58%)
    Total votes cast 74
    Read the related article
  • India: Will the Indian Supreme Court's dismissal of Novartis' petition for patent protection discourage companies from investing in new drugs?
    Yes: 29 (21%)
    No: 111 (79%)
    Total votes cast 140
    Read the related article
  • Should drug companies publish the names of doctors to whom they make donations?
    Yes: 999 (89%)
    No: 129 (11%)
    Total votes cast 1,128
    Read the related article
  • Should GPs on the boards of clinical commissioning groups in England stand down if they have conflicts of interest?
    Yes: 612 (87%)
    No: 91 (13%)
    Total votes cast 703
    Read the related article
  • US: Will the new DSM-5 lead to patients being mislabelled as mentally ill?
    Yes: 85 (83%)
    No: 17 (17%)
    Total votes cast 102
    Read the related article
  • India: Are the dangers of antibiotic resistance exaggerated?
    Yes: 30 (38%)
    No: 49 (62%)
    Total votes cast 79
    Read the related article
  • Will 1 April mark the end of the NHS in England?
    Yes: 493 (58%)
    No: 363 (42%)
    Total votes cast 761
    Read the related head to head article
  • US: Should fee-for-service be abolished for physician pay?
    Yes: 195 (58%)
    No: 144 (42%)
    Total votes cast 339
    Read the related feature
  • Is it acceptable for people to take cognitive enhancing drugs to improve performance?
    Yes: 326 (43%)
    No: 435 (57%)
    Total votes cast 761
    Read the related news story
  • India: Should AYUSH doctors be allowed to prescribe allopathic drugs?
    Yes: 47% (103)
    No: 53% (114)
    Total votes cast 217
    Read the related blog
  • Are the dangers of antibiotic resistance exaggerated?
    Yes: 19% (216)
    No: 81% (909)
    Total votes cast 1,125
    Read the related news story
  • Should GPs be fined for rises in avoidable emergency admissions?
    Yes: 35% (300)
    No: 65% (558)
    Total votes cast 858
    Read the related head to head Yes:No
  • US: Should gun ownership be documented in electronic patient records?
    Yes: 42% (189)
    No: 58% (264)
    Total votes cast 453
    Read the related feature
  • Should the NHS work at weekends as it does in the week?
    Yes: 64.2% (820)
    No: 35.8% (458)
    Total votes cast 1,278
    Read the related head to head article No: Yes
  • India: Is security in Indian hospitals adequate to protect doctors from attacks from aggrieved relatives?
    Yes: 10.3% (27)
    No: 89.7% (236)
    Total votes cast 263
    Read the related news story
  • Should David Nicholson resign in the wake of the Mid Staffs inquiry report?
    Yes: 88% (651)
    No: 12% (85)
    Total votes cast 736
    Read the related article
  • Is a focus on risk in psychiatry an effective way of reducing harm to patients and the public?
    Yes: 62% (206)
    No: 38% (125)
    Total votes cast 331
    Read the related article
  • US: Is it right that doctors should publish all industry payments over $10?
    Yes: 68% (155)
    No: 32% (72)
    Total votes cast 227
    Read the related article
  • Will the Francis report lead to improvements in patient care?
    Yes: 43% (204)
    No: 57% (274)
    Total votes cast 478
    Read the related articles
  • Would you encourage your patients to have prostate specific antigen testing?
    Yes: 46% (442)
    No: 54% (519)
    Total votes cast 961
    Read the related clinical review article
  • Are acute hospitals the place for the frail and older people?
    Yes: 16% (132 )
    No: 84% (697)
    Total votes cast 829
    Read the related news article
  • Should free speech be more important than pharma regulation?
    Yes: 60.7% (51)
    No: 39.3% (33)
    Total votes cast 84
    Read the related feature
  • Are antidepressants overprescribed?
    Yes: 79.3% (862)
    No: 20.7% (226)
    Total votes cast 1088
    Read the related head to head Yes:No
  • Will expansion of the NHS abroad benefit UK patients
    Yes: 32% (139)
    No: 68% (229)
    Total votes cast 438
    Read the related head to head Yes:No
  • Is chemical castration an appropriate punishment for rape?
    Yes: 56% (67)
    No: 44% (52)
    Total votes cast 119
    Read the related news story
  • Should everyone over 74 be screened for dementia?
    Yes: 45.3% (665)
    No: 54.7% (802)
    Total votes cast 1,467
    Read the related Observations article
  • Polls in 2012

  • What is more important to you—the taste of food or how healthy it is?
    Taste: 58.5% (954)
    Health: 41.5% (678)
    Total votes cast 1632
    Read the related Christmas research article
  • Do you believe that non-coeliac gluten sensitivity exists?
    Yes: 66.5% (626)
    No: 33.5% (315)
    Total votes cast 941
    Read the related practice article
  • Is it ethical to donate second hand implantable devices to the developing world?
    Yes: 62.6% (518)
    No: 37.4% (309)
    Total votes cast 827
    Read the related blog
  • Is there value in conducting periodic health checks?
    Yes: 63.5% (415)
    No: 36.5% (238)
    Total votes cast 653
    Read the related research paper
  • In view of increasing antimicrobial resistance worldwide, have you changed your prescribing practice for antibiotics?
    Yes: 77.7% (352)
    No: 22.3% (101)
    Total votes cast 453
    Read the related news story
  • India: Should the UK withdraw aid to India?
    Yes: 37.5% (24)
    No: 62.5% (40)
    Total votes cast 64
    Read the related news story
  • Is the Liverpool care pathway fit for purpose?
    Yes: 73% (467)
    No: 27% (173)
    Total votes cast 640
    Read the related news story
  • Should all cosmetic surgery advertising be banned?
    Yes: 64% (558)
    No: 36% (331)
    Total votes cast 919
    Read the related head to head debate
  • Is it unethical to donate used cardioverter defibrillators to patients in India?
    Yes: 19% (194)
    No: 81% (834)
    Total votes cast 1028
    Read the related news story
  • Who is mainly at fault for denying access to negative clinical trial results?
    Pharma: 395 (69%)
    Regulators: 77 (13.5%)
    Legislators: 50 (9%)
    Ethics committees: 35 (6%)
    Universities: 14 (2.5%)
    Total votes cast 569
    Read the related news story
  • Will calorie counts on vending machines reduce consumption of unhealthy foods?
    Yes: 50.23%
    No: 49.77%
    Total votes cast 1099
    Read the related news story
  • Is overtreatment an inevitable consequence of market based healthcare systems?
    Yes: 83%
    No: 17%
    Total votes cast 878
    Read the related feature
  • Would a "tan tax" on indoor tanning salons be an appropriate deterrent?
    Yes: 55%
    No: 45%
    Total votes cast 664
    Read the related personal view
  • Does celebrity involvement in public health campaigns deliver long term benefit?
    Yes: 46.5%
    No: 53.5%
    Total votes cast 535
    Read the related head to head debate Yes and No
  • Is doctors' professional use of social media likely to result in more good than harm?
    Yes: 57%
    No: 43%
    Total votes cast 516
    Read the related news
  • Are the causes of obesity mainly environmental?
    Yes: 68%
    No: 32%
    Total votes cast 885
    Read the related head to head debate Yes and No
  • Should altruistic kidney donors be able to choose the recipient of their kidney?
    Yes: 48.5%
    No: 51.5%
    Total votes cast 633
    Read the related news
  • Do abstinence programmes have a role in the treatment of heroin addiction?
    Yes: 79%
    No: 21%
    Total votes cast 315
    Read the related personal view
  • Should doctors allow families to veto organ donation requested by their dead relatives?
    Yes: 18.5%
    No: 81.5%
    Total votes cast 1,570
    Read the related personal view
  • Has the current economic downturn adversely affected the health of your patients?
    Yes: 80%
    No: 20%
    Total votes cast 348
    Read the related observations column
  • Should patients be able to control their own records?
    Yes: 58%
    No: 42%
    Total votes cast 667
    Read the related news story
  • Is their any point in measuring people's feelings of well-being?
    Yes: 75%
    No: 25%
    Total votes cast 586
    Read the related news story
  • Is fanaticism a form of madness?
    Yes: 50.9%
    No: 49.1%.
    Total votes cast 668
    Read the related head to head debate Yes and No and blog
  • Should we screen for type 2 diabetes?
    Yes: 83%
    No: 17%.
    Total votes cast 700
    Read the related head to head debate Yes and No
  • Does having a medical parent help or hinder?
    Help: 79%
    Hinder: 29%.
    Total votes cast 465
    Read the related personal view
  • Will the Olympics increase young people's participation in sport?
    Yes: 447 (49.9%%)
    No: 449 (50.1%)
    Read the related editorial
  • Should doctor's organisations be neutral on assisted dying?
    Yes: 1,137 (17%)
    No: 5,455 (83%)
    Read the related editorial
  • Should we abandon cervical spine manipulation for mechanical neck pain?
    Yes: 284 (24%)
    No: 876 (76%)
    Read the related head to head debate Yes and No
  • Should addicts have their benefits cut if they refuse treatment?
    Yes: 806 (65%)
    No: 425 (35%)
    Read the related news
  • Should all adults over 50 get statins?
    Yes: 189 (21%)
    No: 704 (79%)
    Read the related research news
  • Should child immunisation be mandatory?
    Yes: 813 (37%)
    No: 1366 (63%)
    Read the related head to head debate Yes and No
  • Are doctors justified in taking industrial action in defence of their pensions?
    Yes: 514 (65%)
    No: 271 (35%)
    Read the related head to head debate Yes and No
  • Should ophthalmologists be encouraged to use bevacizumab to treat age related macular degeneration?
    Yes: 257 (75%)
    No: 85 (25%)
    Read the related feature
  • What is the most important change to medical education in the past 20 years?
    Debt? 22% (131 votes)
    Competition to get into medical school? 16% (93 votes)
    Competition for training posts? 14% (82 votes)
    Workforce planning? 9% (53 votes)
    Teaching methods and resources? 40% (238 votes)
  • Is spending on proton beam therapy going too far too fast?
    Yes: 143 (56%)
    No: 112 (44%)
    Read the related feature
  • Should doctors have a stronger voice in policy on illegal drug use?
    Yes: 984 (83%)
    No: 198 (17%)
    Read the related news story
  • Will minimum alcohol pricing reduce problem drinking?
    Yes: 258 (33%)
    No: 527 (67%)
    Read the related news story
  • Should health professionals take a leading role in tackling climate change?
    Yes: 325 (45%)
    No: 394 (55%)
    Read the related spotlight article
  • Should Tony Nicklinson, who has locked in syndrome, get medical help to end his life?
    Yes: 748 (37%)
    No: 1285 (63%)
    Read the related news
  • Should everyone over 65 be screened for atrial fibrillation?
    Yes: 498 (61%)
    No: 312 (39%)
    Read the related news
  • Does psychoanalysis have a place in modern mental health?
    Yes: 575 (63%)
    No: 342 (37%)
    Read the related head to head debate Yes;No.
  • Should journals allow peer review only after publication?
    Yes 26% (118)
    No 74% (344)
    Read the related blog.
  • Should we use elective ventilation to increase organ donation?
    Yes 66% (313)
    No 34% (163)
    Read the related news.
  • Is providing hospital services seven days a week worth the extra cost?
    Yes 77% (759)
    No 23% (223)
    Read the related news story.
  • Should the Health and Social Care Bill for England now be withdrawn?
    Yes 92% (2710)
    No 8% (241)
    Read the related comment article.
  • Does anyone understand why we need the government's plans for the NHS?
    Yes 20% (154)
    No 80% (607)
    Read the related comment article.
  • Should public funds pay when private healthcare goes wrong?
    Yes 18% (190)
    No 82% (865)
    Read the related editorial.
  • Should doctors be able to self prescribe?
    Yes 65% (1052)
    No 35% (562)
    Read the related BMJ careers story.
  • Should governments be allowed to censor research because of biosecurity fears?
    Yes 252 (42%)
    No 344 (58%)
    Read the related news story.

Polls in 2011

  • Do you think that Charles Byrne's skeleton should...
    a) now be buried at sea? 453 (53%)
    b) be taken off display and stored in private for research purposes? 117 (14%)
    c) remain where it is on public display? 281 (33%)
    Read the related feature.
  • Should we treat lower urinary tract symptoms without a definitive diagnosis?
    Yes: 513 (57%)
    No: 382 (43%)
    Read the related head to head debate Yes;No.
  • Should the drug industry be given anonymised patient data?
    Yes: 432 (48%)
    No: 469 (52%)
    Read the related news story.
  • Should women be able to request a caesarean section?
    Yes: 694 (46%)
    No: 809 (54%)
    Read the related head to head debate Yes;No.
  • Has the closure of psychiatric beds gone too far?
    Yes: 539 (85%)
    No: 92 (15%)
    Read the related head to head debate Yes;No.
  • Should doctors encourage people to donate a kidney to a stranger?
    Yes: 420 (36%)
    No: 740 (64%)
    Read the related head to head debate No;Yes.
  • Do we need to curb population growth to improve global health?
    Yes: 1,105 (77%)
    No: 334 (23%)
    Read the related personal view.
  • Should journals sell reprints?
    Yes: 78 (41%)
    No: 110 (59%)
    Read the related head to head debate: Yes;No.
  • Should we use total mortality rather than cancer specific mortality to judge cancer screening programmes?

    Yes: 122 (53%)
    No: 110 (47%)
    Read the related head to head debate: Yes, No.

  • Should patients be allowed to spend their personal health budgets on non evidence-based treatments, such as aromatherapy?

    Yes: 235 (40%)
    No: 352 (60%)
    Read the related feature

  • Should GP practices be visited without warning to assess quality of care?

    Yes: 343 (81%)
    No: 80 (19%)
    Read the related blog

  • Does the evidence support the use of mild hypothermia after cardiac arrest?
    Yes: 106 (73%)
    No: 40 (27%)
    Read the related head to head debate:Yes/No
  • Should we regulate the food industry or work with it to tackle NCDs?
    Regulate it: 87 (74%)
    Work with it: 30 (26%)
    Read the related articles
  • Should countries introduce minimum alcohol pricing?
    Yes: 162 (61%)
    No: 105 (39%)
    Read the related news story
  • Should publicly funded research bodies be allowed to withhold research data from industry?
    Yes: 111 (45%)
    No: 133 (55%)
    Read the related blog and news story
  • Should families of drug users be provided with naloxone?
    Yes: 170 (66%)
    No: 87 (34%)
    Read related news story
  • Is the WHO irrelevant?
    Yes: 171 (33%)
    No: 349 (67%)
    Read related feature
  • Should the FDA loosen its conflict of interest rules for advisers?
    Yes: 40 (22%)
    No: 144 (78%)
    Read related news story
  • Should postgraduate membership exams no longer be held overseas?
    No: 128 (53%)
    Yes: 115 (47%)
    Read related head to head (Yes; No)

  • Does the use of medical titles by non-doctors mislead patients?
    Yes: 444 (83%)
    No: 89 (17%)
    Read related personal view
  • Should it be compulsory for adult cyclists to wear helmets?
    Yes: 462 (32%)
    No: 978 (68%)
    Read the related news story
  • Are open data a good thing?
    Yes: 143 (82%)
    No: 31 (18%)
    Read related observations column
  • Is there evidence that competition in healthcare is a good thing?
    No: 276 (73%)
    Yes: 101 (27%)
    Read related head to head debate
  • Should the Health and Social Care Bill now be withdrawn?
    Yes: 1027 (93%)
    No: 74 (7%)
    Read related editorial
  • Does knowledge of arts and culture make doctors better clinicians?
    Yes: 346 (80%)
    No: 88 (20%)
    Read related personal view
  • Should HIV tests be offered to all patients attending emergency departments?
    Yes: 280 (67%)
    No: 135 (33%)
    Read related news story
  • "Are digital rectal examinations performed in primary care a waste of time?"
    No: 278 (65%)
    Yes: 153 (35%)
    Read related personal view

  • Should non-medical health professionals be the first port of call for patients with back pain?
    Yes: 111 (39%)
    No: 173 (61%)
    Read related personal view
  • Has child protection become a form of madness?
    Yes: 181 (66%)
    No: 93 (34%)
    Read related head to head debate
  • Do you feel confident in discussing dying and death with patients?
    Yes: 162 (66%)
    No: 85 (34%)
    Read the related personal view
  • Is the peer review system in crisis?
    Yes: 97 (60%)
    No: 65 (40%)
    Read related news story
  • Should the UN appoint a representative to investigate violations of medical neutrality in countries like Bahrain?
    Yes: 164 (81%)
    No: 39 (19%)
    Read related editorial
  • Should the law on assisted dying be changed?
    Yes: 203 (31%)
    No: 462 (69%)
    Read related head to head debate
  • Is nudge an effective public health strategy to tackle obesity?
    Yes: 61 (34%)
    No: 117 (66%)
    Read related head to head
  • Do most patients want shared decision making?
    Yes: 144 (72%)
    No: 55 (28%)
    Listen to related podcast
  • Should helmets be compulsory for skiers and snowboarders?
    Yes: 343 (65%)
    No: 183 (35%)
    Read related editorial
  • Should the opportunity to sit in on surgery be auctioned to the highest bidder?
    No: 277 (86%)
    Yes: 44 (14%)
    Read related personal view
  • Compared with now, do you think healthcare in England in five years' time will be: Much better, better, the same, worse, or much worse?
    Much better 49 (4%)
    Better 132 (11%)
    Same 154 (13%)
    Worse 428 (36%)
    Much worse 420 (36%)
    Read all the latest news and comment on the BMJ's NHS reforms microsite
  • Have we gone too far in translating ideas from aviation to patient safety?
    Yes 99 (51%)
    No 95 (49%)
    Read related head to head debate
  • Is NHS Employers justified in trying to impose a freeze on incremental pay progression for NHS staff?
    Yes 89 (22%)
    No 313 (78%)
  • Should children aged 5 years or younger be included in the flu vaccination programme?
    Yes 420 (49%)
    No 440 (51%)

    Polls in 2010

  • Is it ever justified to submit a hoax abstract to an international meeting?
    Yes 253 (35%)
    No 473 (65%)
    Read related article
  • Should a paper supporting Seroxat use in adolescents be retracted?
    Yes 87 (65%)
    No 47 (35%)
    Read related feature
  • Should health systems stop supporting low volume units?
    No 156 (64%)
    Yes 87 (36%)
    Read related news story
  • Is the UK coalition government turning the clock back on advances in public health?
    Yes 211 (78%)
    No 59 (22%)
    Read related feature
  • Should the law on orphan drugs be changed?
    Yes 112 (77%)
    No 33 (23%)
    Read related feature
  • Should rationing of drugs be done by individual doctors or by a national body?
    National body: 322 (70%)
    Individual doctors: 137 (30%)
    Read related Q&A briefing
  • Does choice matter more to politicians and patient advocates than it does to patients?
    Yes 220 (66%)
    No 113 (34%)
    Read related analysis
  • Are the cuts fair?
    No 146 (62%)
    Yes 90 (38%)
    Read related head to head
  • Should drug misusers be paid to be sterilised?
    No 314 (68%)
    Yes 145 (32%)
    Read related news story
  • Would a tax on high fat/sugar foods help reduce obesity levels?
    Yes 258 (50.5%)
    No 253 (49.5%)
    Read related observations column
  • Should NHS mental health services fear the private sector?
    Yes 117 (62%)
    No 72 (38%)
    Read related head to head debate
  • Should all athletes have ECG screening?
    Yes 236 (71.5%)
    No 94 (28.5%)
    Read related head to head debate
  • Have targeted cancer drugs met expectations?
    No 92 (75.4%)
    Yes 30 (24.6%)
  • How confident are you that key proposals of the NHS white paper for England will take effect?
    100%: 28 (9.59%)
    75%: 43 (14.73%)
    50%: 75 (25.68%)
    25%: 93 (31.85%)
    0%: 53 (18.15%)
  • Should doctors regulate themselves?
    Yes: 198 (57%)
    No: 151 (43%)
  • Should people with dementia be allowed to vote?
    Yes: 208 (52%)
    No: 194 (48%)
    Read related editorial
  • Should egg and sperm donors be paid more to reduce shortages in IVF clinics?
    Yes: 124 (44%)
    No: 159 (56%)
    Read related news story
  • Should ending mixed sex wards be a government priority?
    Yes: 108 (34%)
    No: 210 (66%)
    Read the related news story
  • Should the role of GPs in maternity care be strengthened?
    Yes: 146 (65%)
    No: 80 (35%)
    Read related news story
  • Have you ever taken modafinil, methylphenidate, and atomoxetine to boost your cognitive performance?

    No: 363 (91%)
    Yes: 38 (9%)
    Read related editorial

  • Should rosiglitazone be withdrawn?
    Yes: 149 (80%)
    No: 38 (20%)
    Read related news story
  • Will GP commissioning improve patient care?
    No: 269 (73.7%)
    Yes: 96 (26.3%)
    Read related news story
  • How often do you notice bias in industry sponsored educational materials?
    Often: 97 (70.8%)
    Sometimes: 31 (22.6%)
    Never: 9 (6.6%)
  • Should locum agencies be regulated?
    Yes: 169 (91%)
    No: 17 (9%)
    Read related feature
  • Is offering unemployment advice part of a family doctor's remit?
    No: 175 (71%)
    Yes: 72 (29%)
    Read related editorial
  • Should the Quality and Outcomes Framework be abolished?
    Yes: 38 (47%)
    No: 43 (53%)
    Read related head to head
  • Is reforming the tax system the best way to address the income inequalities that underlie health inequalities?
    Yes: 95 (64%)
    No: 54 (36%)
    Read related observations column
  • Should health policy focus on physical inactivity rather than obesity?
    Yes 318 (83%)
    No 65 (17%)
    Read related head to head
  • Is homophobia fuelling Africa's HIV epidemic?
    Yes: 184 (53%)
    No: 162 (47%)
    See related feature
  • Is the coalition's health policy going to be good for the NHS?
    Yes: 62 (52%)
    No: 58 (48%)
    See related news story
  • Should the world follow Australia and introduce plain packets for cigarettes?
    Yes: 247 (70%)
    No: 105 (30%)
    See the related personal view
  • Should medical students be regulated?
    Yes: 456 (67%)
    No: 225 (33%)
    See related head to head debate
  • Can the NHS cut costs without substantially damaging the quality of healthcare?
    Yes: 152 (48%)
    No: 165 (52%)
    See related Kings Fund debate page
  • Should researchers make the raw data from their studies available to anyone who asks for them?
    Yes: 488 (74%)
    No: 179 (26%)
    Read related observations article
  • Is the NHS three times better than in 1979?
    No: 166 (60%)
    Yes: 113 (41%)
    Read related observations article
  • Which of these situations worry you most in your career? (Total number of votes=326)
    1. When it's in the public interest to breach patient confidentiality: 136 votes
    2. Breaking bad news and advance care planning: 94 votes
    3. Appropriate off label prescribing: 35 votes
    4. Maximising people's ability to consent to research involvement: 31 votes
    5. Talking to patients about CPR and a DNACPR order: 30 votes

 

  • Should primary care physicians refuse to see the worried well?
    Yes: 87 (22%)
    No: 310 (78%)
    Read doc2doc discussion
  • Will a market deliver quality and efficiency in health care better than central planning ever could?
    Yes: 72 (34%)
    No: 142 (66%)
    Read related head to head debate
  • Will the new assisted suicide policy change your practice?
    Yes: 49 (28%)
    No: 123 (72%)
    Read related news story 
  • Should homoeopathy be available on the NHS?
    Yes: 2208 (19%)
    No: 8730 (81%)
    Read related news story.
  • Has guideline development gone astray?
    Yes 138 (72.6%)
    No 52 (27.4%)
    Read related head to head debate

Polls in 2009

 

 
  • Which of these songs would you use for CPR training? (Total votes=1764)    
    - Bee Gees - Staying alive: 635 votes (36%)
    - Mandy Miller - Nellie the elephant: 351 votes (20%)
    - Queen - Another one bites the dust: 317 votes (18%)          
    - Other*: 119 votes(7%)          
    - The Whispers - And the beat goes on: 107 votes (6% )
    - KC & The Sunshine Band - That's the way I like it: 95 votes (5%) 
    - The Backstreet Boys - Quit playing games (with my heart): 72 votes  (4%)
    - Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart: 68 votes (4%) 
                                              
    *Includes: Theme from the Archers,  Ave Maria or the Faure Requiem, Anarchy in the UK, Baa baa black sheep, London Bridge, Michael Jackson - Billie Jean, Guns'n'Roses - Knocking on heaven's door

    Read related research article.
                                         
  • Would you publicly confess to a serious mistake if you thought others could learn from your experience?
    Yes: 325 (76%)
    No: 104 (24%)
    Read related news story.
  • Is the conflict of interest unacceptable when drug companies conduct trials on their own drugs?
    Yes: 400 (75%)
    No: 133 (25%)
    Related head to head
  • Should the NHS strive to eradicate all unexplained variation in practice?
    No: 181 (65%)
    Yes: 96 (35%)
    Related head to head
  • Do you need a degree to nurse?
    Yes: 308 (39%)
    No: 477 (61%)
    Related forum on doc2doc
  • Do restrictions on working hours of doctors compromise surgical education?
    Yes: 279 (69%)
    No: 123 (31%)
    Related analysis

  • Was home secretary Alan Johnson justified in sacking his drugs adviser David Nutt?
    Yes: 156 (18%)
    No: 728 (82%)
    Related news story
  • Is ageism a common problem in the NHS?
    Yes: 207 (78%)
    No: 57 (22%)
    Related news story
  • Will you take the swine flu vaccine?
    Yes: 446 (42%)
    No: 612 (58%)
    Related news story
  • Are women doctors still discriminated against?
    Yes: 320 (55%)
    No: 261 (45%)
    Related news story
  • Do gyms have responsibilities for people with eating disorders?
    Yes: 186 (39%)             
    No: 296 (61%)           
    Related news story
  • Should doctors treating patients with genetic diseases be allowed to disclose information to blood relatives at risk?
    Yes: 315 (69%)             
    No: 142 (31%)           
    Related news story
  • Should under 5s be allowed to touch animals at petting farms?
    Votes: Yes: 473 (82%); No: 106 (18%)
    Related news story
  • Is population stabilisation crucial to tackling climate change?
    Votes: Yes: 277 (79%); No: 72 (21%)
    Related editorial
  • Should all alcohol advertising be banned?
    Votes: Yes: 456 (70%); No: 191 (30%)
    Related editorial
  • Should youth mental health become a speciality in its own right?
    Votes: Yes: 243 (72%); No: 94 (28%)
    Related head to head
  • Is rate more important than rhythm in treating atrial fibrillation?
    Votes: Yes: 345 (75%); No: 114 (25%)
    Related head to head
  • Does Helicobacter pylori really cause duodenal ulcers?
    Votes: Yes: 425 (83%); No: 89 (17%)
    Related head to head
  • Should antivirals be given to young people with mild symptoms of A/H1N1?
    Votes: Yes: 65 (14%); No: 390 (86%)
    Related research
  • Do not-for-profit nursing homes provide better quality?
    Votes: Yes: 109 (66%); No: 57 (34%)
    Related research
  • Should we stop screening women under 25 for cervical cancer?
    Votes: Yes: 156 (35%); No: 287 (65%)
    Related research
  • Do you feel equipped to manage patients with swine flu?
    Votes: Yes: 112 (46%); No: 131 (54%)
    Related editorial
  • Is systolic blood pressure all that matters?
    Votes: Yes: 89 (17%); No: 434 (83%)
    Related head to head debate: Yes; No

  • Have you changed your behaviour as a consequence of swine flu? (July 2009)
    Votes: Yes: 149 (25%); No: 457 (75%)
    Related research
  • Would you recommend to your patients, family, or friends to attend breast screening? (July 2009)
    Votes: Yes: 293 (85%); No: 53 (15%)
    Related observation
  • Is it acceptable for people to take methylphenidate to enhance performance? (June 2009)
    Votes: Yes: 100 (27%); No: 264 (73%)
    Related head to head debate; Yes; No
  • Is medicine failing male patients? (June 2009)
    Votes: Yes: 119 (53%); No: 104 (47%)
    Related personal view
  • Does English libel law threaten scientific debate in health care? (June 2009)
    Votes: Yes 92 (80%); No: 23 (20%)
    Related editorial
  • Would you blow the whistle if you saw a senior colleague repeatedly making mistakes? (June 2009)
    Votes: Yes 471 (87%); No: 71 (13%)
    Related editorial
  • Should blood pressure lowering drugs be offered to all people over a certain age? (May 2009)
    Votes: Yes 132 (33%); No: 272 (67%)
    Related research and editorial
  • Should hospices be exempt from following national cardiopulmonary resuscitation guidelines? (March 2009)
    Votes: Yes 272 (60%); No 180 (40%)
    Related head to head debate: Yes; No
  • Should people at risk of reinfarction have defibrillators available at home?(March 2009) 
    Votes: Yes: 39 (49%); No: 40 (51%)
    Related head to head debate: Yes; No
  • Will doctor rating sites improve standards of care? (March 2009)
    Votes: Yes: 26 (30%); No: 60 (70%)
    Related head to head debate: Yes; No
  • Should all patients be offered online access to their medical records? (March 2009)
    Votes: Yes: 106 (65%); No: 57 (35%)
    Related podcast and blog
  • Should men who have ever had sex with men be banned from giving blood? February 2009.
    Votes: No: 300 (55%); Yes: 244 (45%)
    Read related head to head debate: Yes; No
  • Who should receive the BMJ Group award for lifetime achievement?  (February 2009)
    The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony on 2 April.
  • Doctors and the drug industry: what's in the best interests of patients and the public?  (February 2009)
    1. Tighter standards of conduct: 103 votes (42%)
    2. No relationship: 60 votes (25%)
    3. Less but better regulation: 38 votes (16%)
    4. Closer working: 30 votes (12%)
    5. No change:    12 votes (5%)
    Read related articles
  • Will the WHO's surgical safety checklist change practice?  (January 2009)
    Votes: Yes 138 (66%); No 71 (34%)
    Read related editorial
  • Have NHS targets such as minimum waiting times done more harm than good? (January 2009)
    Votes: Yes (%); No (%)
    Read related head to head debate: Yes; No
  • Should doctors work beyond 70? (January 2009)
    Votes: Yes 484 (40%); No 726 (60%)
    Read related news story

 
Polls in 2008

  • Should drug companies teach therapeutics to medical undergraduates? (January 2009)
    Votes: Yes 155 (22%); No 560 (78%)
    Read related news feature.
  • Should the contraceptive pill be available without prescription? (December 2008)
    Votes: Yes 660 (54%); No 568 (46%)
    Read related head to head debate: Yes; No
  • Should smoking in outside public spaces be banned? (December 2008)
    Votes: Yes 416 (58%); No 307 (42%)
    Reead related head to head debate: Yes; No
  • Should doctors encourage patients to make decisions about their future care in case incapacity strikes? (December 2008) Votes: Yes 465 (87%); No 67 (13%)
  • Would you advise a friend or relative to become a doctor? (December 2008)
    Votes: Yes 461 (52%); No 420 (48%)
    Read related personal view.
  • Will financial penalties improve control of hospital acquired infections? (November 2008)
    Votes: Yes 119 (42%); No 164 (58%)         
    Read related analysis.
  • Should restaurant menus include nutrition labelling information? (November 2008)
    Votes: Yes 480 (69%); No 217 (31%)
    Read related feature and listen to related podcast.
  • Should world leaders be obliged to make their health records public? (November 2008)
    Votes: Yes 211 (34%); No 416 (66%)  
    Read related personal view.
  • Should immunisation be mandatory for healthcare workers (Novermber 2008)
    Votes: Yes 493 (62%); No 302 (38%)
    Related head to head debate: Yes; No
  • Which presidential candidate has better plans for US health reform? (October 2008)
    Votes: Barack Obama 877 (85%); John McCain 160 (15%)
    Read related feature.
  • Should developed countries become net exporters of health professionals? (October 2008)
    Votes: Yes: 217 (59%); No: 150 (41%)
    Read related editorial and features (International action on migration of health workers, Fighting the brain drain)
  • Should doctors lead on rationing decisions? (October 2008)
    Votes: Yes 155 (62%); No 93 (38%)
    Read related editorial, feature, and analysis (Clinical priority setting, Accountability for reasonableness, Moving forward on rationing)
  • Does NICE deserve its bad press? (October 2008)
    Votes: Yes 166 votes (41%); No 236 (59%)
    Read related observations article
  • Should there be a ceiling on what percentage of GDP countries spend on health? (September 2008)
    Votes: Yes 101 (34%); No 199 (66%)
    Read related head to head debate: Yes; No.
  • Should medical records remain confidential after a patient's death? (September 2008)
    Votes: Yes 431 (69%); No 195 (31%)
    Read related news.
  • Is early intervention in the major psychiatric disorders justified? (September 2008)
    Votes: Yes 303 (85%); No 52 (15%)
    Related head to head debate: Yes; No.
  • Should primary care be nurse led? (September 2008)
    Votes: Yes 323 (30%); No 737 (70%)
    Related head to head debate: Yes; No.
  • Are national qualifying examinations a fair way to rank medical students?
    (August 2008)
    Votes: Yes 434 (53%); No 389 (47%)
    Related head to head debate: Yes; No
  • Should the UK instigate universal childhood immunisation against the varicella zoster virus (responsible for chickenpox and shingles)? (August 2008)
    Votes: Yes 291 (63%) ; No 171 (37%)
    Read related editorial.
  • Should the NHS fund drugs that have not yet been approved by NICE?
    (August 2008)
    Votes: Yes 264 (43%); No 354 (57%)
    Read related news.
  • Should failed asylum seekers be denied free primary care?
    (July 2008)
    Votes: Yes 289 (36%); No 518 (64%)
    Read related personal view.
  • Should doctors advise people to limit the number of children they have for the sake of the environment?
    Votes: Yes 513 (46%); No 609 (54%)
    Read related editor's choice.
  • Has the UK's four hour emergency care target compromised patient safety? (July 2008)
    Votes: Yes 172 (72%); No 67 (28%)
  • Should disadvantaged people be paid to take care of their health?
    Votes: Yes 183 (34%); No 363 (66%)
  • Should geriatric medicine remain a specialty? (July 2008)
    Votes: Yes 587 (80%); No 146 (20%)
  • Are international medical conferences an outdated luxury the planet can’t afford?
    (July 2008)
    Votes: Yes 471 (59%); No 324 (41%)
  • Are the NHS's founding principles still relevant in 21st century Britain?
    (June 2008)
    Votes: Yes 496 (70%); No 215 (30%)
  • Should patients be fined if they miss appointments? (June 2008)
    Votes: Yes 299 (51%); No 292 (49%)
  • Should all healthcare interventions be rigorously tested before their introduction?(June 2008)
    Votes: Yes 392 (78%); No 111 (22%)
  • Is it feasible for GPs to put all 40-75 year olds on statins based on cardiovascular risk, ethnicity, and family history? (June 2008)
    Votes: Yes 416 (44%); No 522 (56%)
  • Were MPs right to allow the creation of "admixed" human and animal embryos for research in the United Kingdom? (May 2008)
    Votes: Yes 271 (36%); No 480 (64%)
  • Would you share the answers to exam questions if you were exclusively told them in advance? (May 2008)
    Votes: Yes 57 (58%); No 42 (42%)
  • Should hypertension be treated aggressively even in very old patients? (May 2008)
    Votes: Yes 362 (49%); No 374 (51%)
  • Should patients be able to pay top-up fees for treatments not funded by the NHS? (May 2008)
    Votes: Yes 375 (71%); No 151 (29%)
  • Does it matter if medical graduates don't get jobs as doctors? (May 2008)
    Votes: Yes 1025 (81%); No 246 (19%)
  • Do we need polyclinics? (April 2008)
    Votes: Yes 361 (66%); No 188 (34%)
  • Should we screen for abdominal aortic aneurysm? (April 2008)
    Votes: Yes 333 (66%); No 175 (34%)
  • Which health project would make the greatest difference to health care? (April 2008)
    • Palliative care for all at the end of life: 1552 votes (38%)
    • Combating drug resistant infections in poor countries: 879 votes (22%)
    • Better care for the elderly with multiple health problems: 686 votes (17%) Improving chronic pain management: 487 (12%)
    • Reducing excessive drinking in young women: 331 votes (8%)
    • Helping to reduce adverse drug reactions in elderly patients: 111 votes (3%)

  • Are there too many female medical graduates? (April 2008)
    Votes: Yes 454 (44%); No 568 (56%)
  • Should pharmaceutical companies enjoy greater legal freedoms to provide prescription drug information directly to the public? (March 2008)
    Votes: Yes 220 (20%); No 870 (80%)
  • Should responsibility for signing people off sick be transferred from GPs to occupational health teams? (March 2008)
    Votes: Yes 419 (56%); No 326 (44%)
  • Should all doctors have a legal obligation to offer assistance in an inflight medical
    emergency? (March 2008)
    Votes: Yes 458 (53%); No 408 (47%)
  • Should doctors change their practice in prescribing antidepressants in the light of last month's research? (March 2008)
    Votes: Yes 876 (71%); No 355 (29%)
  • Has the hunt for conflicts of interests gone too far? (February 2008)
    Votes: Yes 197 (45%); No 246 (56%)
  • Do you object to continuing medical education being funded by the pharmaceutical industry? (February 2008)
    Votes: Yes 853 (55%); No 669 (45%)
  • Should doctors advocate snus and other nicotine replacements? (February 2008)
    Votes: Yes 195 (61%); No 124 (39%)
  • Is it time to stop using the term "sudden infant death syndrome"? (February 2008)
    Votes: Yes 584 (60%); No 381 (40%)
  • Is the obesity epidemic exaggerated? (February 2008)
    Votes: Yes 987 (73%); No 371 (27%)
  • Is climate change a matter for doctors? (January 2008)
    Votes: Yes 805 (69%); No 363 (31%)
  • Should the Tooke report on postgraduate medical education and training be implemented in full? (January 2008)
    Votes: Yes 429 (74%); No: 153 (26%)