Palliative care for non-malignant disease is the area in which doctors can make the greatest difference to patient care. More than 4 000 people voted in an online BMJ poll to decide which of six projects would make the most improvement to patient care. Each one is analysed in a pair of articles written by leading doctors and scientists. The full poll results are displayed to the right and you can access the articles below.
In 2008-9 BMJ Group will continue to support and develop the Making a Difference campaign. It will do this by commissioning and inviting work on the six key topics in the BMJ and the BMJ Group’s 24 specialist journals, in BMJ Clinical Evidence, Best Treatments, and BMJ learning.
BMJ editor in chief Fiona Godlee said: "I am delighted that the BMJ has helped to remind everyone of areas of health that are less glamorous and are perhaps all too often passed over, even though their impact on individual lives and society is increasing. Clearly, palliative care for non-malignant disease will play a vital role in improving patient care now and in the future."
The winnning project was announced on Friday 25 April 2008 at Le Palais des Congres, Paris, France.
Getting end of life care "right" makes a real difference to people with cancer. The lessons learnt from palliative care for cancer need to be applied to other fatal conditions, say Scott Murray and Aziz Sheikh. How can we ensure reliable services for everyone, asks Joanne Lynn.
Resistance to drugs in many common childhood infections is a growing problem in poorer countries, says Zulfiqar Bhutta. Effective programmes to combat resistance are within reach, but we must move swiftly to make a difference, say Ralph Gonzales and colleagues.
With ever increasing pressure on doctors’ time, Iona Heath wonders whether primary care can really meet the needs of elderly people at all, while John Wasson suggests ways for doctors to make a difference to the care of older patients that don’t require extra resources or staffing.
Patients with chronic pain deserve better treatment, says Henry McQuay. while Dawn Stacey and colleagues describe how the care of people with osteoarthritis is improving. Shared decision making between patients and clinicians is making a difference.
The growing problem of binge drinking among young women is one that must be dealt with at a societal level, says Ian Gilmore. Nevertheless, doctors can make a difference at an individual level, and Brenda Reiss-Brennan and colleagues describe one US quality improvement intervention in primary care.
Doctors should pay greater attention to managing the risk-benefit relationship to improve care of patients over 65, urge Jerry Avorn and William Shrank. The challenge of safer prescribing, says Anne Spinewine, lies in shared decision making.
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