Screening programmes are a useful way for practitioners to identify conditions early on, even before symptoms arise. Last year, the NHS was praised for its adult screening programmes, but the uptake of screening services is failing, or stagnating across the country. We find out if a more proactive approach could help to reverse this downward trend.

Also in this issue, we speak to Dr Eric Topol about the humanising potential of AI, enter a new world of surgical training with FundamentalVR, and examine the potential of a device that mimics the smelling power of dogs to identify chemical signatures of chronic diseases.

Plus, we investigate the rise of online chronic illness communities, explore alternatives to ethylene oxide sterilisation as health concerns threaten the future of the process, and talk clinical trial platforms with Medidata.

Finally, we examine the fallout from Bayer’s Essure contraceptive implant, and get the latest insight and analysis from GlobalData.

Eloise McLennan, editor