The use of AI to aid diagnosis has been heralded increasingly often as an imminent evolution in the world of gastroenterology (1, 2). Thanks to an Italian study, in April the FDA has approved for the first time a tool for colonoscopy that helps doctors detect suspicious lesions in real time whilst performing the examination (3, 4).
The pharmaceutical industry gets a lot of bad press. Much of it is admittedly deserved; when you are in the business of putting stuff into people’s bodies, the slightest unethical behaviour must be dealt with, rapidly and transparently.
We’re committed to doing all we can to reduce our carbon footprint – at home as well as for our clients. One way we’re doing this internally is by offering our staff a salary sacrifice scheme for electric cars. This is a government scheme that allows people to lease a new electric car with payments from gross salary, before tax and national insurance, thus making a substantial saving.
A dream of science fiction writers until a few decades ago, artificial intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of our existence, with a particularly prominent role in healthcare – as a tool to both manage and analyse information and to assist diagnosis and follow-up in several therapy areas. Its involvement in medical writing was therefore bound to be the next natural step.
Medicine moves quickly when it has to. In my previous post I mentioned clinical trials of DOACs for patients with COVID-19, but we already know that this approach is proving to be futile. We’ve seen the spectre of blood clots appear as a side effect from the vaccine, and we now think we know how they occur.
Attending medical conferences is a great way for healthcare professionals to learn about the latest advances in therapies and treatments for diseases in their chosen area. Not only can Specialists listen to lectures delivered by world-renowned Key Opinion Leaders, with whom they may not normally come into contact, but they can speak directly to exhibitors, listen to abstracts, read posters, attend workshops… the benefits go on. However, attendance at these events comes at a price, both literally and figuratively.
Preceptorship meetings are a fantastic way for newly qualified healthcare professionals to build on the education they received during formal training and continue the learning process. They help smooth the transition from student to Specialist and build confidence in being able to work autonomously – all of which leads to increased quality of care and patient satisfaction.
The AS&K team has been reaping the mental health benefits of the great outdoors
The 10–16 May is Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, and this year’s theme is ‘Nature.’
Owing to social restrictions still in place in the continued effort to halt the COVID-19 pandemic, the next ESMO Breast Cancer Congress 2021 (5-8 May 2021) is due to take place in a fully virtual environment.
How long have you worked in Med Comms?
I have been working in the healthcare industry for ~4 years, after completing my MSc in Biomedical Science. In a former life, I worked for pharmaceutical companies in clinical research departments. I’ve spent the last ~2 years working as a Medical Writer at Med Comms agencies.
How long have you worked at AS&K?