The Bitter Pill podcasts

How do doctors think and take clinical decisions during times of prolonged uncertainty?

'The Bitter Pill' podcasts explore this theme using examples from the 1980's when patients with hemophilia contracted HIV and hepatitis from their treatment with blood plasma. For four years, between 1982 and 1985 hemophilia doctors struggled with the challenges posed by HIV in their patients and how to modify their treatments. This is a critical period in medical history because of the suffering and death of so many people brought on by medical treatment.

The aim of this podcast series is to learn about the serious dilemmas of health professionals in the 1980s and help reflect on clinical practice. They will provoke the listener - the medical student and contemporary health professionals - to contextualise situations that are universal in medical practice across cultures.

Mallika Sekhar MBBS, MD, FRCPath, FRCP is a physician and haematologist trained in India and The U.K. She is currently a Consultant Haematologist at the Royal Free Hospital and UCL Hospitals and Honorary Associate Professor at University College London. https://www.royalfree.nhs.uk/services/staff-a-z/dr-mallika-sekhar/