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The scent of Ethiopia: a personal story – part 1

Background The year was 2004; I had just moved to the UK as a young house officer and finished my observership programme at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. I was inspired by greats like Patrick Duffy and Phillip Ransley,...

ICS updates on continence care: what’s hot in physiotherapy after 80 years?

Origins of pelvic floor physiotherapy Physiotherapy, and in particular pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) is nowadays first-line management for pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD). PFMT is originally attributed to Dr Arthur Kegel, hence the term Kegel exercises. Indeed, he was the...

The microbial syndicate: dysbiosis and origins of recurrent UTIs

Traditional dogma held that urine was sterile. However, recent molecular studies have revealed an underground microbial community, known as the urinary microbiome or ‘urobiome’ [1]. Far from being harmful, this community of microorganisms helps modulate immune responses, regulate inflammation, and...

Shared decision-making – minimising the mismatch

In Western countries, we are spoilt for choice in almost every aspect of our lives, but does that reflect also in healthcare? While we have taken some big strides towards shared decision-making with our patients, the age-old physician dominance remains...

An introduction to research governance

Research is the process of acquiring new generalisable knowledge and should be fully integrated into healthcare work. There is a growing drive to encourage and further develop evidence-based practice in medicine so that staff and patients benefit from improved healthcare...