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BMJ Open

========

is an online, open access journal, dedicated to publishing medical research from all disciplines and therapeutic areas.

**Impact Factor:** 2.4  

**Citescore:** 4.4  

[All metrics >>](/pages/about)

The journal publishes all research study types, from protocols through phase I trials to meta-analyses, including small, specialist studies, and negative studies. Publishing procedures are built around fully open peer review and continuous publication, publishing research online as soon as the article is ready.

_BMJ Open_ aims to promote transparency in the publication process by publishing reviewer reports and previous versions of manuscripts as pre-publication histories. Authors are asked to pay article-publishing charges on acceptance; the ability to pay does not influence editorial decisions.

All papers are included in MEDLINE/PubMed and Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science).

[Current Issue](/content/current)[](/content/current)

Authors

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BMJ Open accepts submissions on a range of article types, including original research, cohort profiles and protocols.

The Author Information section provides specific article requirements to help you turn your research into an article suitable for BMJ Open.

Information is also provided on [editorial policies](https://bmjopen.bmj.com/pages/authors/#editorial_policy) and [open access](https://bmjopen.bmj.com/pages/authors/#article_publishing_charges).

[Author information](https://bmjopen.bmj.com/pages/authors)[Submit a paper](https://app.penelope.ai/manuscript-check/q/bmjopen)

Press Releases

--------------

Medical education and training:

[UK medical students’ mental health and their intention to drop out: a longitudinal study](/content/15/2/e094058)

5 February 2025

Epidemiology:

[Long term exposure to ambient air pollution and hospital admission burden in Scotland: 16 year prospective population cohort study](/content/14/12/e084032)

18 December 2024

Public health:

[Exploration of fathers’ mental health and well-being concerns during the transition to fatherhood, and paternal perinatal support: scoping review](/content/14/11/e078386)

12 November 2024

Public health:

[Health impact of urban green spaces: a systematic review of heat-related morbidity and mortality](/content/14/9/e081632)

22 October 2024

Most Read Articles

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Communication:

[How does communication affect patient safety? Protocol for a systematic review and logic model](/content/14/5/e085312)

27 May 2024

Cardiovascular medicine:

[Is LDL cholesterol associated with long-term mortality among primary prevention adults? A retrospective cohort study from a large healthcare system](/content/14/3/e077949)

28 March 2024

Pharmacology and therapeutics:

[Low-dose naltrexone for post-COVID fatigue syndrome: a study protocol for a double-blind, randomised trial in British Columbia](/content/14/5/e085272)

13 May 2024

General practice / Family practice:

[ChatGPT (GPT-4) versus doctors on complex cases of the Swedish family medicine specialist examination: an observational comparative study](/content/14/12/e086148)

26 December 2024

Public health:

[Inequalities in lifespan and mortality risk in the US, 2015–2019: a cross-sectional analysis of subpopulations by social determinants of health](/content/14/6/e079534)

5 August 2024

Mental Health

-------------

Mental health:

[Investigating the impact of electroconvulsive therapy on brain networks and sleep: an observational study protocol](/content/15/3/e098859)

7 March 2025

Mental health:

[What are the symptom trajectories of self-regulatory fatigue among family caregivers of stroke survivors? A protocol of mixed-methods study in Chinese rehabilitation settings](/content/15/3/e092724)

6 March 2025

Mental health:

[Consenting for themselves: a qualitative study exploring a Gillick Competence assessment to enable adolescents to self-consent to low-risk online research](/content/15/3/e090747)

4 March 2025

Mental health:

[Naturalistic trial of nudging patients and clinicians in the Norwegian sickness absence clinics: a study protocol for the NSAC Nudge Study](/content/15/3/e089758)

3 March 2025

Mental health:

[Randomised controlled trial of LGBTQ-affirmative cognitive-behavioural therapy for sexual minority women’s minority stress, mental health and hazardous drinking: Project EQuIP protocol](/content/15/3/e086738)

3 March 2025

Recent Articles

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Geriatric medicine:

[Optimal lumbar vertebral level for trunk muscle CT assessments in opportunistic sarcopenia screening: a cross-sectional study](/cgi/content/short/15/3/e083165?rss=1)

14 March 2025

Public health:

[Association of maternal metabolic risk factors with offspring body mass index (BMI) trajectories in early childhood: a retrospective cohort study](/cgi/content/short/15/3/e088641?rss=1)

14 March 2025

Epidemiology:

[Comparison of statistical modelling methods for population-level gestational weight gain trajectories in ethnically diverse women in southeast Melbourne, Australia](/cgi/content/short/15/3/e088664?rss=1)

14 March 2025

Epidemiology:

[Demographic variation in continuous glucose monitoring utilisation among patients with type 1 diabetes from a US regional academic medical centre: a retrospective cohort study, 2018-2021](/cgi/content/short/15/3/e088785?rss=1)

14 March 2025

Surgery:

[Obsidian ASG autologous platelet-rich fibrin matrix for the prevention of postoperative pancreatic fistula following pancreatic resection: study protocol for a feasibility trial at the Medical University of Vienna](/cgi/content/short/15/3/e088867?rss=1)

14 March 2025

Blog Posts

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[Water aerobics for more than 10 weeks can trim waist size and aid weight loss](https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjopen/2025/03/12/water-aerobics-for-more-than-10-weeks-can-trim-waist-size-and-aid-weight-loss/)

12 March 2025

[In the news](https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjopen/category/in-the-news/)[Press release](https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjopen/category/press-release/)

[Top ten most read in January: low-acuity attendances in German emergency departments, long COVID, Nurse-Family Partnership](https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjopen/2025/02/28/top-ten-most-read-in-january-low-acuity-attendances-in-german-emergency-departments-long-covid-nurse-family-partnership/)

28 February 2025

[Highly accessed](https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjopen/category/highly-accessed/)

[Around 1 in 5 UK medical students considers dropping out, study suggests](https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjopen/2025/02/17/around-1-in-5-uk-medical-students-considers-dropping-out-study-suggests/)

17 February 2025

[In the news](https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjopen/category/in-the-news/)[Press release](https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjopen/category/press-release/)

[Top 10 most read in December: ChatGPT vs doctors, prenatal psychology, and transportability of lung cancer data from US to UK](https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjopen/2025/01/21/top-10-most-read-in-december-chatgpt-vs-doctors-prenatal-psychology-and-transportability-of-lung-cancer-data-from-us-to-uk/)

21 January 2025

[Highly accessed](https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjopen/category/highly-accessed/)

[The importance of international collaboration in infectious disease epidemiology – BMJ Open report from the ESCAIDE 2024 conference](https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjopen/2024/12/12/escaide-2024/)

12 December 2024

[Events](https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjopen/category/events/)

Altmetrics

----------

[

](http://www.altmetric.com/details.php?citation_id=116125919 "Altmetric details: Zinc for the prevention or treatment of acute viral respiratory tract infections in adults: a rapid systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials, score: 1376")

[Zinc for the prevention or treatment of acute viral respiratory tract infections in adults: a rapid systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials](https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047474)  

2 November 2021

[

](http://www.altmetric.com/details.php?citation_id=161190409 "Altmetric details: Association between physical activity over a 10-year period and current insomnia symptoms, sleep duration and daytime sleepiness: a European population-based study, score: 1205")

[Association between physical activity over a 10-year period and current insomnia symptoms, sleep duration and daytime sleepiness: a European population-based study](https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-067197)  

26 March 2024

[

](http://www.altmetric.com/details.php?citation_id=153147476 "Altmetric details: Effect of portable HEPA filters on COVID-19 period prevalence: an observational quasi-interventional study in German kindergartens, score: 980")

[Effect of portable HEPA filters on COVID-19 period prevalence: an observational quasi-interventional study in German kindergartens](https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072284)  

30 July 2023

[

](http://www.altmetric.com/details.php?citation_id=170390548 "Altmetric details: Trajectories of functional limitations, health-related quality of life and societal costs in individuals with long COVID: a population-based longitudinal cohort study, score: 666")

[Trajectories of functional limitations, health-related quality of life and societal costs in individuals with long COVID: a population-based longitudinal cohort study](https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-088538)  

13 November 2024

[

](http://www.altmetric.com/details.php?citation_id=166272305 "Altmetric details: Life expectancy and geographic variation in mortality: an observational comparison study of six high-income Anglophone countries, score: 586")

[Life expectancy and geographic variation in mortality: an observational comparison study of six high-income Anglophone countries](https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079365)  

13 August 2024

Related Journals

----------------

[](https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com)

### BMJ Open Respiratory Research

[Visit this journal](https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com)

[](https://bmjopensem.bmj.com)

### BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine

[Visit this journal](https://bmjopensem.bmj.com)

[](https://rmdopen.bmj.com/)

### RMD Open

[Visit this journal](https://rmdopen.bmj.com/)

Jobs

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[View all doctor jobs](https://www.bmj.com/careers)[Hospital jobs](https://www.bmj.com/careers/jobs/hospital/)[GP jobs](https://www.bmj.com/careers/jobs/general-practice/)[University & Research jobs](https://www.bmj.com/careers/jobs/university-and-research/)

[Consultant in Obstetrics](https://www.bmj.com/careers/job/673545/consultant-in-obstetrics/?TrackID=8&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=general)

Plymouth

We are looking for enthusiastic colleagues to join our friendly and committed maternal medicine team and our fetal medicine team.

Recruiter: University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

* * *

[Salaried GP](https://www.bmj.com/careers/job/682357/salaried-gp/?TrackID=8&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=general)

Bourne, Lincolnshire

Salaried GP 6-8 Sessions Per Week Bourne, Lincolnshire (PE10 9BT)

Recruiter: Bourne Galletly Practice

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[Consultant in Health Care for Older People](https://www.bmj.com/careers/job/682355/consultant-in-health-care-for-older-people/?TrackID=8&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=general)

Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands

The Department of Healthcare for Older People provide a comprehensive service for older patients both in hospital and in community settings. We are...

Recruiter: University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

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[Substantive Specialty Doctor in Anaesthetics](https://www.bmj.com/careers/job/679489/substantive-specialty-doctor-in-anaesthetics/?TrackID=8&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=general)

Elgin, Moray

NHS Grampian is delighted at the prospect of expanding the Anaesthetic Department at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin

Recruiter: NHS Grampian

* * *

[Consultant CAMHS](https://www.bmj.com/careers/job/672289/consultant-camhs/?TrackID=8&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=general)

Jersey

Following a significant redesign, and a new model of care which will support all children and young people to thrive

Recruiter: Government of Jersey

* * *

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