There was a clear winner of our top medical blogs competition, and that was Dr Richard Lehman and his blog for the BMJ.
Dr Lehman(@RichardLehman1) is a retired GP based in Connecticut and Oxfordshire. Readers told us they voted for his weekly summary of the main medical journals because:
- ‘[He] puts his own wry slant in a commentary. It is both informative and amusing and a "must read" even when on holiday.'
- ‘It is the best way to catch up with the latest research, but so entertainingly written that I often find myself reading out bits of it to my children.'
- ‘He's consistently funny, erudite and well informed. His prose style is a delight to read and he's not afraid to stand up for what he believes in.'
- ‘Pithy, witty, erudite, non-pharma-tainted blog for generalists - I never miss reading it weekly.'
- ‘Why? Because he's pithy, practical, evidence-based, tells me things I need to know and often adds an outrageous final paragraph to see if you're still reading. ‘
Other nominees included blogs ranging from medical to scientific, and the political to the personal.
Dr Kailash Chand(@KailashChandOBE), now chair of NHS Tameside and Glossop, first began working as a GP in 1983. His blogging for the Guardian was nominated and described as providing ‘an objective, informative and eloquent analysis of his arguments on current NHS matters, well supported by strong evidence'.
Dr No(@_dr_no_) is a medical doctor with over 25 years' experience inside and outside the NHS. He is increasingly disturbed by the direction the NHS and some members of his profession are going in. One reader described his posts as 'always informative, intelligent, thought-provoking and eloquent, and discussion is welcomed'.
The writing of Pulse's very own Dr Tony Copperfield (@doccopperfield) was praised by one reader as ‘so true to life I feel like I could have written them'.
Dr Helena McKeown (@helenamckeown), a Salisbury GP who sits on BMA, GPC and RCGP Council, is another Pulse regular who has captured your imaginations.
One regular reader voted for her blog because of her ‘heart-on-sleeve honesty, without the self-important pomposity that characterises many other medical blogs' and said it was ‘insightful' and ‘always makes me think, whether I agree with it or not'.
Medical Marbles charts the days of a GP and mother, although as one reader says ‘the everyday examples are very interesting and make it applicable to everyone'.
Medical Marbles was also described to us as a ‘fresh and current blog that any doctor with children can relate to (not just mothers)' and readers said it ‘tackles main issues in a very informative, thought-provoking way leaving you wanting more'
Richard Blogger(@richardblogger) writes for the left-of-centre blog NHS Vault.
One reader said: ‘I rarely agree with his views but he is always very well-informed'.
Trust The Evidence is a blog run by Carl Heneghan (@cebmblog) and other GPs with an interest in evidence-based medicine and the truth behind health research findings.
And finally, while we were largely focusing on British-based writers, two overseas blogs were praised by readers.
Science-Based Medicine is a US blog populated by various medically-trained contributors. It claims to ‘evaluate medical treatments and products of interest to the public in a scientific light'
One reader praised its ‘wide-ranging, thought-provoking and evidence-based deconstruction of the many myths our patients can come at us with.'
And Medicalopedia was nominated on behalf of medical students. A reader wrote: ‘The best medical blog from Pakistan. Encouraging medical students to write about new discoveries and do analysis. The first blog to start writing on medical licensing programs of different countries and comparing different review courses annually for students.'
Want more? Read Dr Richard Lehman's guest blog for Pulse, then browse our directory of dozens of medical blogs from the UK and beyond.
