Seven days in medicine: 30 Aug to 5 Sep 2023
BMJ 2023; 382 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.p2031 (Published 07 September 2023) Cite this as: BMJ 2023;382:p2031
General practice
Virtual appointments “are as good as face to face”
Health outcomes in patients who saw doctors remotely at least matched in-person care outcomes for mental illness, alcohol misuse, weight management, and advice on quitting smoking, showed a review of previous research involving more than 5.4 million patients around the world. Reported in the Journal of Medical Internet Research,1 the study also found some evidence that remote consultations saved time for doctors, reduced waiting times, and were seen as more convenient but also that patients who were seen virtually felt less well supported in making informed choices.
Vaccinations
More people become eligible for shingles jab
The shingles vaccination programme in England has been expanded to include anyone turning 65 or 70 from 1 September 2023 and people over 50 with a severely weakened immune system. People aged 70-79 remain eligible for the vaccine. In the first five years since a shingles vaccine was introduced in England in 2013 there were 45 000 fewer GP consultations and 1840 fewer hospital admissions for shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia.
One dose of HPV vaccine is as “effective as two”
People under 25 are being offered one dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine instead of two, after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said that a single dose was just as effective. People who have …
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