Who should read a suicide note?
Some time ago, my Twitter timeline brought me references to an article about an NHS Trust chief executive who had shared a deceased colleague’s suicide with the trust staff. The reaction both of the staff and on Twitter was strongly negative. In this post, I would like to comment on it. Continue reading “Who should read a suicide note?”
Grammar of vaccination
Here is the newly published decision aid helping you decide whether to get vaccinated against covid-19. It comes from OptionGrid (now with Ebsco) led by Glyn Elwyn. In this blog I would like to offer some feedback on how the aid is written. Continue reading “Grammar of vaccination”
What do you want to be called?
What do you want to be called? This is a question that keeps popping up in Twitter discussions of how to address the patient. Doctors will tell you proudly that they ask the question, some will tell you the question is designed to redress the asymmetry of power in the interaction. In this post I will argue that it does nothing of the sort. Continue reading “What do you want to be called?”
Linguist in the garden
A few months ago, I was buying some large stones for my garden and I was offered a little proverb. If you want to be happy for a day, get drunk, if you want to be happy for a year, get married, but if you want to be happy for a lifetime, start a garden. This post is about discovering gardening. Continue reading “Linguist in the garden”