Experiences as a clinical teaching fellow: interviews with clinical teaching fellows in the West Midlands.

Background: The majority of junior doctors in the UK do not proceed directly into specialty training after completing mandatory foundation training but instead take a year out of training. A common post undertaken during a year out of training is a clinical teaching fellow (CTF) role which is used to provide undergraduate medical student teaching. There is only a small amount of literature available regarding CTF posts, and very little of this explores experiences or reasons for taking up such as post.

The Clinical Teaching Fellow role: exploring expectations and experiences.

Background: Many UK junior doctors are now taking a year out of the traditional training pathway, usually before specialty training, and some choose to work as a clinical teaching fellow (CTF). CTFs primarily have responsibility for delivering hospital-based teaching to undergraduate medical students. Only a very small amount of literature is available regarding CTF posts, none of which has explored why doctors choose to undertake the role and their expectations of the job.

The Clinical Teaching Fellow role: views of the Heads of Academy in the West Midlands.

Background: Increasingly junior doctors are taking a year out of the traditional training pathway, and some opt to spend a year in a clinical teaching fellow (CTF) post. The CTF post mainly involves delivering hospital-based teaching to undergraduate medical students. In NHS hospital Trusts in the West Midlands, Heads of Academy (HoAs) have oversight of medical education at each Trust and therefore have responsibility for employing and directing the work of CTFs.

Safety and efficacy of tuberculosis vaccine candidates in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review of randomised controlled clinical trials.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of death worldwide, with 98% of cases occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The only vaccine licenced for the prevention of TB has limited protection for adolescents, adults and vulnerable populations. A safe and effective vaccine for all populations at risk is imperative to achieve global elimination of TB.

Factors affecting consultant attitudes to undertaking undergraduate medical student teaching in the UK: a systematic review.

Objective: This systematic review aimed to explore consultant attitudes towards teaching undergraduate medical students in the UK.

Design: Systematic review.

Methodology: Standard systematic review methodology was followed.

Trends in the costs of drugs launched in the UK between 1981 and 2015: an analysis of the launch price of drugs in five disease areas.

Objectives: To investigate the trend in the launch price of new drugs for five common health conditions.

Design: Cross-sectional study using data on new drugs launched in the UK between 1981 and 2015 for hypertension, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia and colorectal cancer.

Data And Sources: All drugs marketed in the UK between 1981 and 2015 (inclusive), and licensed specifically for the treatment of one of the five chosen conditions were included in the study.

New and emerging technologies for the diagnosis and monitoring of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A horizon scanning review.

There is a need for straightforward, novel diagnostic and monitoring technologies to enable the early diagnosis of COPD and its differentiation from other respiratory diseases, to establish the cause of acute exacerbations and to monitor disease progression. We sought to establish whether technologies already in development could potentially address these needs. A systematic horizon scanning review was undertaken to identify technologies in development from a wide range of commercial and non-commercial sources.

Trends in clinical development timeframes for antiviral drugs launched in the UK, 1981-2014: a retrospective observational study.

Objectives: Recent decades have witnessed the development of highly innovative new antiviral drug therapies. However, there are concerns that rising costs and lengthening development times could have implications for future patient access to innovative new drugs. We sought to establish whether the time taken for the clinical development of new antiviral drugs launched in the UK had increased since the 1980s.

How innovative are new drugs launched in the UK? A retrospective study of new drugs listed in the British National Formulary (BNF) 2001-2012.

Objectives: Innovative new drugs offer potential benefits to patients, healthcare systems, governments and the pharmaceutical industry. Recent data suggest annual numbers of new drugs launched in the UK have increased in recent years, and we sought to understand whether this represents increasing numbers of highly innovative drugs being made available or the introduction of increasing numbers of drugs with limited additional therapeutic value.

Design And Setting: Retrospective observational study of new drug entries in the British National Formulary (BNF).

Decline in new drug launches: myth or reality? Retrospective observational study using 30 years of data from the UK.

Objective: To describe trends in new drugs launched in the UK from 1982 to 2011 and test the hypothesis that the rate of new drug introductions has declined over the study period. There is wide concern that pharmaceutical innovation is declining. Reported trends suggest that fewer new drugs have been launched over recent decades, despite increasing investment into research and development.

Innovation and the burden of disease: retrospective observational study of new and emerging health technologies reported by the EuroScan Network from 2000 to 2009.

Objectives: Medical innovation in developed countries has been linked to burden of disease, with more innovation in areas representing greater investment return. This study used horizon scanning or early awareness and alert activity as a novel measure of innovation to determine whether new and emerging health technologies reported by international horizon scanning agencies reflected diseases constituting the greatest burden.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of the 20 member agencies of EuroScan (the International Information Network on New and Emerging Health Technologies), representing 17 developed countries.

Emerging point of care tests for influenza: innovation or status quo.

Background: Point of care tests (POCTs) for influenza potentially offer earlier diagnosis, enabling specific treatment, infection control measures and greater patient convenience and satisfaction. Current POCTs have limited sensitivity, some cannot distinguish influenza types, none differentiate subtypes and are relatively expensive.

Aims:  To identify and characterise influenza POCTs expected to be available for clinical use in the U.