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What is an operating department practitioner (ODP)? ODPs (Operating Department Practitioners) are Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) who are based in operating theatres. They are one of the key Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) in the NHS. They work across three main areas within an operating theatre: anaesthetics, surgery and recovery. We will describe what ODPs’ do. Anaesthetic Help […]

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What does A and E stand for? A and E stands for A&E which means ‘Accident and emergency’. It is for serious injuries and life-threatening emergencies only. It is also known as the Emergency Department (ED), Emergency Room (ER) or Casualty. If you do not have a serious or life-threatening emergency, A&E is not the […]

• Andy Stein
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Duties of a doctor – diagnosis, prognosis and hope When you go on a train journey, sometimes things go wrong. But passengers are much happier if they know why,  how long it will take to get fixed, and are they going to get there. Humans and illness are similar. In any interaction with one of […]

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How to present a medical history We will describe how to present a medical history. It is a skill – and as important as actually taking the history. In fact, there is no point in taking a good history, unless you can present it well. We recommend a ‘5 sentence summary method’. This is an […]

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Are there enough doctors and nurses in the NHS? Yes. For both .. well, nearly enough. In fact we are mid-table for both doctors and nurses when compared to similar developed countries. So. Are there enough doctors and nurses in the NHS? How do we know? The best data that answers this question is from the […]

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What is specialised commissioning? In this article, we will describe what is specialised commissioning. Certain conditions require a different form of commissioning (buying) healthcare. They are generally rare conditions with these features: They are expensive The infrastructure required to deliver the services requires planning on a geographical scale bigger than a local commissioner – i.e. ICS The clinical […]

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What is an ICU (intensive care unit)? People may need admission to a hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after a major accident, or due to a sudden and critical deterioration in health, or have a planned admission following surgery. Some common reasons include: a serious accident – such as a road accident, a severe head injury, a serious fall or […]

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10 most common screening tests Screening means having tests to prevent diseases, or picking them up early. Doctors can do more for you if we can see you early in the disease process. We will now describe 10 of the most common (and important) screening tests. 1. Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening AAA screening is […]

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All about periods (normal menstruation) Definition Menstruation is a woman’s normal periodic vaginal bleeding – occurring every 23-35 days (average 28 days) A period lasts 2-7 days (typically 5 days), with heaviest bleeding during the first 2 days. Menstrual volume Average blood loss: 20-90ml (1-5 tablespoons) Variations in volume are common. Menarche (start of periods) […]

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5 things to do when you find out you are pregnant In this article, we will describe 5 things to do when you find out you are pregnant. So. I’m pregnant – what next? 1. Calculate your due date Use a ‘due date’ calculator: Enter your last period’s start date (dd/mm/yyyy) Input your average cycle […]