Seven days in medicine: 13-19 Feb 2019
BMJ 2019; 364 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l760 (Published 21 February 2019) Cite this as: BMJ 2019;364:l760
Assisted dying
Doctor-patient relationship “would change”
The UK campaign alliance Care Not Killing found that 48% of over 2000 respondents to a poll agreed with the statement, “If GPs are given the power to help patients commit suicide it will fundamentally change the relationship between a doctor and patient, since GPs are currently under a duty to protect and preserve lives.” Just under a quarter (23%) disagreed with the statement, and 29% were not sure. In the poll, carried out by the research consultancy ComRes, 51% of respondents thought that some people might feel pressured into accepting help to take their own life “so as not to be a burden on others,” while 25% disagreed.
Sponsorship
College ends funding from formula milk
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health announced that it has stopped accepting funding from companies that make formula milk, which earned it around £40 000 (€46 000; $52 000) a year in event sponsorship and advertising. The policy change came amid growing pressure from doctors and campaigners, who said that the arrangement was incompatible with the healthy promotion of breastfeeding. The college will continue to work with formula milk companies on specialist milks for babies who cannot breastfeed and those with allergies and gastrointestinal conditions. (Full story doi:10.1136/bmj.l743)
Complaints
People regret not raising care concerns
People in England are being asked to speak up about their experiences of care …
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