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Professor Azeem Majeed

@azeem-majeed.bsky.social
479 followers 36 following 387 posts

I am Professor of Primary Care & Public Health and Head of the Department of Primary Care & Public Health at Imperial College London. Own views.

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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 2h
Hearing loss becomes more common as you get older. You may find it harder to follow a conversation or notice that you need to watch television at a higher volume. Read more in my column in the Daily Express. www.express.co.uk/life-style/h...
express.co.uk
I'm a GP — how to recognise and deal with hearing loss | Express.co.uk
Express health columnist Dr Azeem Majeed explains how getting support can help you stay involved in the activities you enjoy.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
I was asked by the academic publisher Elsevier if I could review a 15-page proposal for a book on AI and provide feedback by answering 23 questions. For this work, they offered $100 (£75). It’s unsurprising that Elsevier’s parent company has annual profits of over £1,000 million.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Doctors are increasingly asked to review AI outputs they never requested. Tools that save time and help patients are welcome. Unsolicited suggestions, draft plans and safety-net prompts are not when doctors must still read, correct, explain and take responsibility for them.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Doctors do not implement guidelines uncritically. They decide which recommendations matter most, for whom and in what order. In an era when multimorbidity, polypharmacy, patient complexity and fragmented care are common, these judgments are essential. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Very sorry to hear that.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Public awareness of prostate cancer has increased in recent years through people such as Sir Chris Hoy and the former prime minister David Cameron sharing their stories about their diagnoses. Learn more about prostate cancer in my article for The Express. www.express.co.uk/life-style/h...
express.co.uk
I’m a GP — these are the basics all men should know about prostate cancer | Express.co.uk
Express health columnist Dr Azeem Majeed explains the symptoms, diagnostic methods, stages and treatment for prostate cancer.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
We commonly see patients who are treated in emergency departments and who are then referred for physiotherapy at the same hospital. Only to have their referral rejected because they live “out of area”. This isn’t good for the patient, their general practice or NHS efficiency.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Clinical practice involves substantial asynchronous clinical work - such as managing out-of-range test results, abnormal imaging reports and prescription monitoring alerts. Learning how to manage these risks is an important part of medical training. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
Unreachable patient safety in GP speciality training: a practical intervention to close risk when contact fails
When patients cannot be reached yet risk exists, GP trainees must make proportionate safety decisions without the stabilising anchor of a live consultation. This ‘unreachable patient’ problem is co...
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Medical educators must ensure that clinicians retain the ability to think critically. It’s essential that doctors learn to use AI tools effectively but also preserve the independent cognitive functions essential for patient safety and to deliver holistic person-centred care.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Continuity of care is increasingly difficult to maintain in fragmented healthcare systems. Rather than aiming for every patient to see the same clinician for every encounter, healthcare systems and clinicians should move toward proportionate continuity. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
In discussions with doctors working in EU countries, I am struck by the difference in the priority given to rehabilitation medicine compared to the UK. Rehabilitation Medicine is generally a much bigger specialty in Europe with better access to therapies for patients.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Allied health professionals make important contributions to the NHS but their roles should complement those of doctors. Assessing patients with undifferentiated symptoms without adequate medical supervision risks compromising patient safety. www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/clinica...
pulsetoday.co.uk
BMA report reveals accounts of non-doctors rejecting GP referrals and 'taking the role of GPs'
A new report published by the union today collated ‘shocking’ accounts of doctor substitution in GP practices and hospitals.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Spacing vaccines across many separate visits increases the risk of delayed or missed doses and leaves children susceptible to infection for longer with no safety benefits. It also requires parents to take more time out of their schedule to visit their vaccine provider.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
While online access to medical records supports patient autonomy, releasing complex uninterpreted data without context risks causing anxiety and distress. We must design digital health systems that integrate anticipatory guidance and plain-language summaries for patients.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Congratulations to students starting their university courses this year. Please ensure you are up to date with your MenACWY, MenB, MMR and other vaccines before you start your course. Vaccination protects you from the risk of serious illness and death and also reduces pressures on the NHS.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I regularly receive emails from students requesting work experience opportunities. The vast majority invariably contain an account of a family member who has experienced a major illness that has transformed the attitude of the applicant. They invariably all look AI-generated.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
With Pharmacy First, there is an opportunity-cost question. Could the same investment in general practices be more cost-effective and deliver greater benefits by enabling practices to employ more staff and offer more appointments? www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/clinica...
pulsetoday.co.uk
Pharmacy First expansion assumes conditions presenting as 'minor' can't be complex, GPs warn
GP leaders warned that moving more care away from general practice ‘risks undermining the role of GPs’ in diagnosing patients safely.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
A diagnosis of heart failure is often preceded by non-specific symptoms that can be overlooked by clinicians. In our study, we mapped quantitative evidence on prediagnostic signals, investigations, referrals, diagnostic setting and health outcomes. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Primary care access is a core component of safe clinical care, rather than just an administrative gateway. The outcome of an illness is often determined before a consultation occurs because poorly designed entry systems can compromise quality of care. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
NICE’s approval of finerenone for heart failure is a positive development but as I highlight in this article, there are significant challenge for primary care in incorporating a drug that requires careful monitoring into routine clinical practice. www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/clinica...
pulsetoday.co.uk
NICE recommends finerenone for chronic heart failure in final draft guidance
Hundreds of thousands of patients with chronic heart failure will be eligible for treatment with finerenone after its approval by NICE.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
A recent study validates the TAIGHA scale for measuring user trust in AI-generated health advice. AI tools for patients and the public should aim to deliver reliable, high-quality health information while building appropriate trust in their outputs. journals.plos.org/digitalhealt...
journals.plos.org
The trust in AI-generated health advice (TAIGHA) scale and short version (TAIGHA-S): Development and validation study
Author summary Artificial intelligence tools are increasingly used by the public to obtain health information and guidance, but users may follow or reject the advice they receive, which can affect the...
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Whenever there is a significant event in the NHS, you will hear managers make comments like “we take whistleblowing extremely seriously" and “we have put in place systems to prevent such events in the future”. Patients will wonder why these actions were not already in place.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Online access to electronic health records may allow patients to see the results of investigations for cancer before a clinical review with the patient has occurred. Systems are needed to address the associated risks and reduce unnecessary anxiety. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
Cancer Education in the Era of Immediate Results Access - Journal of Cancer Education
Immediate patient access to cancer-related results through digital portals has transformed the timing and nature of cancer communication. Although open records promote transparency, autonomy and engag...
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
The 150-minute weekly exercise target for adults in the UK is not an absolute threshold. Smaller amounts of exercise will still have important health benefits. If you can’t meet the 150-minute target don’t be discouraged. Aim to build some regular exercise into your daily routine.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Pathways for patients with suspected cancer are usually seen as linear sequences. But patients often miss appointments or decline investigations. Labelling these episodes with terms like “patient declined” or “did not attend” can be an oversimplification. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
The Paused Pathway: Teaching Investigative Consent when Cancer Investigation Stalls - Journal of Cancer Education
Suspected cancer pathways are often taught as linear sequences, but in practice they may pause when patients miss appointments, decline investigations, misunderstand the pathway, or face emotional, pr...
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Healthcare systems must shift from measuring the number of contacts to measuring metrics such as continuity and resolution - ensuring clinical problems are actively owned, tracked and managed by a clinical team until they reach a definitive endpoint. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
It will only be possible to code patients with PMOS in their health records once coding systems have been updated. Until then, clinicians, researchers, healthcare organisations, and patients need to be aware that that PMOS and PCOS refer to the same underlying condition.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
The renaming of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) recognises the condition’s broader endocrine and metabolic aspects. But clinical coding systems such as ICD-10 and SNOMED will continue to use PCOS for now. bmj.com/cgi/content/...
bmj.com
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Medical students sometimes ask if AI will replace doctors. My view is that AI will supplement doctors rather than replace them. AI will change medical practice by improving efficiency, supporting decision-making and helping clinicians manage increasingly complex information.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Readiness for clinical practice is not just about memorising information. It is the ability to retrieve knowledge under pressure, apply it safely, communicate uncertainty responsibly and contextualise care so that decisions work in the real world. www.frontiersin.org/journals/med...
frontiersin.org
Frontiers | Are we assessing medical students' recall or readiness for practice?
Medical education is full of apparent certainties. Pre-clinical students can memorise enzyme pathways, rare syndromes, and lists of adverse drug reactions we...
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
NHS England is planning to introduce self-testing to allow patients to carry out a range of blood tests at home. Self-testing could reduce demands on NHS phlebotomy services but will need monitoring to ensure cost-effectiveness and equitable take-up. www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/clinica...
pulsetoday.co.uk
NHS England considering self-testing routes for cholesterol and prostate cancer
Patients could be asked to test at home for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and cholesterol levels, among other tests.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
I've always told my PhD students that a PhD is a marathon and not a sprint. Now that Sabastian Sawe has run the London Marathon in under 2 hours, I'll need to think of something else to tell them.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Mapping burdens and inequalities of polycystic ovary syndrome in young females across 953 locations 1990–2040 with deep learning forecasts. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Mapping burdens and inequalities of polycystic ovary syndrome in young females across 953 locations 1990–2040 with deep learning forecasts
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common reproductive endocrine disorder impacting the health of young female populations. Using harmonized…
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Pattern Disruption in GP speciality training: a practical intervention to enhance cognitive flexibility and diagnostic reasoning. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
Pattern Disruption in GP speciality training: a practical intervention to enhance cognitive flexibility and diagnostic reasoning
Pattern recognition underpins efficient general practice, yet over-reliance on familiar diagnostic scripts can promote cognitive rigidity and premature closure when presentations are atypical, evol...
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
The government is proposing to make the NHS App the primary gateway to the NHS in England. But without addressing the broader social determinants of digital access, an overreliance on the NHS App may deepen existing health inequalities. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
The NHS App should focus on inequalities to improve population health - Anthony A Laverty, Claire Reidy, Sukriti KC, Chrysanthi Papoutsi, Bernard Gudgin, Azeem Majeed, John Powell, 2026
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
In my written statement and oral evidence, I discussed the weakening of public health infrastructure and the lack of integrated data systems. I also advocated for a robust, preventive healthcare model that prioritises community-based care and targeted interventions to protect vulnerable populations.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
I was asked to appear at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry in February to be questioned on how the pandemic affected people who were clinically vulnerable and the importance of good IT systems to identify people in this group. My witness statement is now online. covid19.public-inquiry.uk/documents/in...
covid19.public-inquiry.uk
INQ000659865 - Witness Statement provided by Professor Azeem Majeed, Professor of Primary Care and Public Health at Imperial College London, dated 02/12/2025 UK Covid-19 Inquiry Archives
Witness Statement provided by Professor Azeem Majeed, Professor of Primary Care and Public Health at Imperial College London, dated 02/12/2025.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
The new funding in the NHS GP contract must be the start of a long term programme of investment, not a one-off adjustment. Reversing more than a decade of underinvestment in general practice will require consistent real-terms year-on-year growth in funding. www.bmj.com/content/392/... @bmj.com
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
I don't think he is on X or Bluesky.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
It’s good to see the government aiming to increase the emphasis on childhood vaccination in the NHS GP contract in England. But as well as these “short-term fixes”, we also need long-term changes that reduce the pressures on primary care so GPs can spend more time on prevention.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Thank you Trisha (although I was not an author of this paper).
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
How should services for high-intensity users be organised? A scoping review of published literature with recommendations for future research and delivery of care. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
The Rashōmon Effect and COVID-19 vaccine decision-making. Our new paper highlights the need for more flexible and innovative strategies to navigate the complex factors influencing decision-making around vaccination. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
The Rashōmon Effect and COVID-19 vaccine decision-making: A qualitative study - Poonam Madar, Raj S. Chandok, Azeem Majeed, 2026
Objectives This qualitative study captured the perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals to better understand COVID-19 vaccine decision-making among...
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Don’t rely on rash colour alone. Look for other signs such as a high fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis and small white spots in the mouth (Koplik spots). Recognising measles in all skin tones is essential for early diagnosis and treatment and for preventing its spread.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Doctors and parents should be aware that the medical textbook description of a "bright red measles rash" is based on white skin. On brown or black skin, the measles rash can be much harder to see. It may appear as darker, dusky or purple patches rather than bright red spots.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
In the face of rising cases, prioritising immunisation is essential to prevent avoidable complications such as pneumonia, meningitis and hospitalisation; and to ensure that measles remains a disease of the past rather than a threat to our children's future health.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Ensuring children receive both doses of the MMR vaccine is the most effective way to halt the spread of measles in communities. As well as protecting individuals, high vaccination rates create "herd immunity," protecting those who are too young to be vaccinated themselves.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
The current measles outbreak in London shows us that vaccination is not just a personal choice but essential to protect the community. A highly infectious disease like measles can spread rapidly in areas with low vaccine uptake; putting children at risk. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
North London measles outbreak hits several schools with at least 34 children infected
A number of children have been hospitalised as officials urge families to check they are up to date with their vaccines.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Student loans in England have become a significant long-term financial and psychological factor for graduates. The impact ranges from daily budgeting struggles to delayed life milestones like being able to afford to buy a home. The student loan system is now effectively a graduate tax.
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Professor Azeem Majeed @azeem-majeed.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Many clinical guidelines are based on research in younger, healthier patients; making it difficult to apply them in people with frailty and polypharmacy. We need to move away from single-disease trials toward studies that include complex, older populations with multimorbidity.
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