If you’re lucky enough to have a break over the summer holiday season, I would advise that you to avoid anything work-related. However, if you just can’t pull yourself away from the worlds of palliative care and research, here (in no particular order) are some related links:

• Check out the short films from Little Stars TV, sharing stories of paediatric palliative care.
• Need a last-minute gift for an older person? See GeriPal’s list of Gifts for Seniors (although my Dad didn’t seem to appreciate it when I shared it with him!)
• A medical conference with rapping and singalongs? I’d love to attend this “creative medical conference“, which explores “the spaces between medicine and humanities and media and technology.” (Dotmed conference via Irish Times)
• Some of our readers will be able to relate to this piece on the post-PhD slump.  I am slowly working my way through the rest of this excellent blog, Patter, from Professor Pat Thomson.
• Have you heard of “predatory journals”? A paper by Maggie Simpson, Edna Krabappel and Kim Jong Fun was accepted by two journals…as was an article about “GMOYFML” (you’ll have to read the article to see where that acronym originates…it’s too sweary for Palliverse). (Vox)
• I’ve never heard a pathologist’s views on death before (Death is not a failure of the health care system via KevinMD)
• And here’s a great article about palliative care in the emergency department. You can join the discussion about palliative care in your local emergency department (Academic Life in Emergency Medicine)
• Prof Nick Talley, President of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, laments the lack of clinicians involved in research in this opinion piece in The Guardian.
• Dying is part of living (England’s Care Quality Commission)
• The Heart Sisters blog (@HeartSisters) is a great read for a patient’s perspective of living with heart disease and navigating the health care system.
• Another patient blog I recommend is Living with Bob (Dysautonomia) (@RustyHoe). She writes detailed, thoughtful posts about living with chronic illness. Her descriptions of dysautonomia symptoms are eloquent. I can’t do it justice. Check it out.
• Here’s a list of 10 TED talks that change(d) healthcare from health futurist and imagineer Lucien Engelen. (Chief Imagineer is such a cool job title.)
• I’m a huge fan of Dr Kate Granger and am hoping that the #hellomynameis campaign takes off in Australian (and NZ) health care next year (“Hello, my name is…”, the simple phrase that can transform health care via Croakey blog)
• I’m excited enough about the pedometer app on my phone, so you can imagine how much I’m geeking out about these Top Ten Medical Uses of the iPhone. (from internetmedicine.com)

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