The Lancet Voice

How will the AI change the NHS?

Can an algorithm decide who sees a doctor first — and what happens when it gets the call wrong?
The NHS is rolling out AI triage tools and ambient scribes across general practice, promising to shorten waiting lists and free up clinician time. In this episode of The Lancet Voice, host Niall Boyce and Chloe Wilson, senior editor at The Lancet, cast a questioning eye over the initiative.
Chloe raises concerns about AI triage — including the risk of downgrading seemingly innocuous but important symptoms — and questions whether AI in health care is adding efficiency, or simply cutting costs. The hosts also examine ambient scribes in the consulting room, discussing how AI scribes may change clinical practice, or even deskill physicians.
The issue isn't whether AI can help the NHS — it's whether we're asking it to do the right things, and if we are implementing it in the right way.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
The Lancet Voice is part of the Lancet Group podcast offering.  Editorial team: Niall Boyce, Miriam Sabin, Jessamy Bagenal, Richard Horton, and Gavin Cleaver Podcast editing: Matteo Simonetti Visit https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia to learn more about our multimedia offering.  Find the best science for better lives at thelancet.comFollow us today at...https://thelancet.bsky.social/https://instagram.com/thelancetgrouphttps://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournalhttps://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancethttps://youtube.com/thelancettv

What's happening in Latin America?

On The Lancet Voice, host Niall Boyce and co-host Miriam Sabin are joined by Taissa Villa, editor-in-chief of The Lancet Regional Health Americas, and Professor Marcia de Castro — Andelot Professor of Demography and chair of the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard University — to assess the state of health across Latin America.
2024 was dengue's worst year on record. Oropouche virus has broken out of the Amazon. Venezuela's earthquake exposed a health system already gutted by a decade of political crisis. PAHO estimates the combined burden of NCDs and mental health at seven trillion dollars — roughly the region's entire GDP. And US withdrawal from PEPFAR and the Global Fund now threatens malaria elimination programs that were within reach in Mesoamerica.
Yet Brazil's SUS remains the only free universal health system serving a population above 200 million, and Castro sees real grounds for hope in PAHO-led malaria elimination efforts.
The Lancet Voice is part of the Lancet Group podcast offering.  Editorial team: Niall Boyce, Miriam Sabin, Jessamy Bagenal, Richard Horton, and Gavin Cleaver Podcast editing: Matteo Simonetti Visit https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia to learn more about our multimedia offering.  Find the best science for better lives at thelancet.comFollow us today at...https://thelancet.bsky.social/https://instagram.com/thelancetgrouphttps://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournalhttps://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancethttps://youtube.com/thelancettv

Research integrity in the age of AI

Retracted articles hit a high of 10,000 in 2023, representing an increase of almost ten times in ten years. The introduction of AI brings incredible benefits to science, but could also add to the seemingly endless tide of papers that are fraudulent, misleading, or just plain wrong.
What can journals such as The Lancet do to rise to this challenge, keeping the scientific record accurate, honest, and transparent? Editors Niall Boyce and Sabine Kleinert are joined by Professor Lex Bouter from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and Professor Mai Har Sham of the Chinese University of Hong Kong to discuss a new Lancet Commission.
Click here to read the full article:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01528-4/fulltext
The Lancet Voice is part of the Lancet Group podcast offering.  Editorial team: Niall Boyce, Miriam Sabin, Jessamy Bagenal, Richard Horton, and Gavin Cleaver Podcast editing: Matteo Simonetti Visit https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia to learn more about our multimedia offering.  Find the best science for better lives at thelancet.comFollow us today at...https://thelancet.bsky.social/https://instagram.com/thelancetgrouphttps://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournalhttps://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancethttps://youtube.com/thelancettv

Why has the UK government banned social media for under-16s?

The UK Government has just announced a ban on social media for under 16-year-olds. Why? Why now? And will it actually improve young people's health and wellbeing?
Lancet Editor Niall Boyce is joined by Esther Lau, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, to discuss the key issues and likely consequences.
 
The Lancet Voice is part of the Lancet Group podcast offering.  Editorial team: Niall Boyce, Miriam Sabin, Jessamy Bagenal, Richard Horton, and Gavin Cleaver Podcast editing: Matteo Simonetti Visit https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia to learn more about our multimedia offering.  Find the best science for better lives at thelancet.comFollow us today at...https://thelancet.bsky.social/https://instagram.com/thelancetgrouphttps://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournalhttps://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancethttps://youtube.com/thelancettv

Bioethics flashpoints of the next decade

Bioethics are a matter of practical, everyday concern for physicians, and other health care providers, especially as medical science continues to advance, opening up new therapeutic possibilities. In this episode of The Lancet Voice, the bioethicist and oncologist, Ezekiel Emanuel, talks about applying bioethics to some of today's most pressing health problems, globally.
 
Click here to read the full article:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/piis0140-6736(09)60137-9/fulltext
The Lancet Voice is part of the Lancet Group podcast offering.  Editorial team: Niall Boyce, Miriam Sabin, Jessamy Bagenal, Richard Horton, and Gavin Cleaver Podcast editing: Matteo Simonetti Visit https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia to learn more about our multimedia offering.  Find the best science for better lives at thelancet.comFollow us today at...https://thelancet.bsky.social/https://instagram.com/thelancetgrouphttps://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournalhttps://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancethttps://youtube.com/thelancettv

The story of Dr Wu Lien-Teh

Manchuria, 1910. An outbreak of a mysterious illness has claimed tens of thousands of lives. But one doctor has a plan to stop it.
Niall and Miriam are joined by Dr Yvonne Ho to discuss the life and legacy of Dr Wu Lien-Teh, and the continuing importance of his story in today's world.
The Lancet Voice is part of the Lancet Group podcast offering.  Editorial team: Niall Boyce, Miriam Sabin, Jessamy Bagenal, Richard Horton, and Gavin Cleaver Podcast editing: Matteo Simonetti Visit https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia to learn more about our multimedia offering.  Find the best science for better lives at thelancet.comFollow us today at...https://thelancet.bsky.social/https://instagram.com/thelancetgrouphttps://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournalhttps://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancethttps://youtube.com/thelancettv

What happened when cannabis was legalised in the US?

While cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, almost half of the states of the US have now legalised it for recreational use. But what effect has this had on health, and how are researchers monitoring the situation?
Niall Boyce and Mariam Sabin from the Lancet chat with Professor Deborah Hasin, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University.
The Lancet Voice is part of the Lancet Group podcast offering.  Editorial team: Niall Boyce, Miriam Sabin, Jessamy Bagenal, Richard Horton, and Gavin Cleaver Podcast editing: Matteo Simonetti Visit https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia to learn more about our multimedia offering.  Find the best science for better lives at thelancet.comFollow us today at...https://thelancet.bsky.social/https://instagram.com/thelancetgrouphttps://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournalhttps://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancethttps://youtube.com/thelancettv

Health in India and global funding cuts

Gavin is joined once again by Richard and Jessamy for a chat about the latest in global health news and the world of Lancet publications, this month covering The Lancet's new Commission, A Citizen-Centred Health System for India, and a new paper in The Lancet Global Health on the effect of global development assistance funding cuts.Click here to access the full content:https://www.thelancet.com/commissions-do/India-Citizen-Healthhttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(26)00008-2/fulltextSend us your feedback!Read all of our content at https://www.thelancet.com/?dgcid=buzzsprout_tlv_podcast_generic_lancetCheck out all the podcasts from The Lancet Group:https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia/podcasts?dgcid=buzzsprout_tlv_podcast_generic_lancetContinue this conversation on social!Follow us today at...https://thelancet.bsky.social/https://instagram.com/thelancetgrouphttps://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournalhttps://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancethttps://youtube.com/thelancettv
The Lancet Voice is part of the Lancet Group podcast offering.  Editorial team: Niall Boyce, Miriam Sabin, Jessamy Bagenal, Richard Horton, and Gavin Cleaver Podcast editing: Matteo Simonetti Visit https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia to learn more about our multimedia offering.  Find the best science for better lives at thelancet.comFollow us today at...https://thelancet.bsky.social/https://instagram.com/thelancetgrouphttps://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournalhttps://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancethttps://youtube.com/thelancettv

Ami Baba and Martin Offringa on SPIRIT-C and CONSORT-C child and adolescent extensions

Those working in clinical trials will recall that in 2025 updates were published for the SPIRIT standard clinical trial protocol items and the CONSORT guideline for reporting randomised clinical trials. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health will be co-publishing the first child and adolescent extensions to the SPIRIT and CONSORT reporting guidelines, along with the BMJ and JAMA Paediatrics. In this conversation with the SPIRIT and CONSORT child and adolescent project leads, Ami Baba and Martin Offringa, we discuss the need for child and adolescent specific reporting standards, the importance and value of engaging caregivers and young people in the process of developing the standards, and the potential for the SPIRIT-C and CONSORT-C reporting standards to positively impact the quality and inclusivity of paediatric clinical trials across all disciplines caring for neonates, infants, children, and adolescents.Click here to read the full articles:CONSORT-C https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(26)00004-0/fulltextSPIRIT-C https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(26)00005-2/fulltextSend us your feedback!Read all of our content at https://www.thelancet.com/?dgcid=buzzsprout_tlv_podcast_generic_lancetCheck out all the podcasts from The Lancet Group:https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia/podcasts?dgcid=buzzsprout_tlv_podcast_generic_lancetContinue this conversation on social!Follow us today at...https://thelancet.bsky.social/https://instagram.com/thelancetgrouphttps://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournalhttps://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancethttps://youtube.com/thelancettv
The Lancet Voice is part of the Lancet Group podcast offering.  Editorial team: Niall Boyce, Miriam Sabin, Jessamy Bagenal, Richard Horton, and Gavin Cleaver Podcast editing: Matteo Simonetti Visit https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia to learn more about our multimedia offering.  Find the best science for better lives at thelancet.comFollow us today at...https://thelancet.bsky.social/https://instagram.com/thelancetgrouphttps://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournalhttps://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancethttps://youtube.com/thelancettv

The fallout of COP30

In this episode Jessamy talks to Iris Blom, a medical doctor and researcher with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and co-chair on The Lancet Commission on Sustainable Healthcare.Iris details her role at the recent COP30 in the Brazil Amazon, translating research for negotiators and advancing evaluation frameworks for sustainable healthcare, tells her takeaways from the conference and also explains why multilateralism still matters, how city-led co-benefits can drive measurable action, and what to expect from the upcoming Just Transition away from fossil fuels conference that  will take place on 28-29 April 2026 in Santa-Marta, Colombia.Send us your feedback!Read all of our content at https://www.thelancet.com/?dgcid=buzzsprout_tlv_podcast_generic_lancetCheck out all the podcasts from The Lancet Group:https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia/podcasts?dgcid=buzzsprout_tlv_podcast_generic_lancetContinue this conversation on social!Follow us today at...https://thelancet.bsky.social/https://instagram.com/thelancetgrouphttps://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournalhttps://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancethttps://youtube.com/thelancettv
The Lancet Voice is part of the Lancet Group podcast offering.  Editorial team: Niall Boyce, Miriam Sabin, Jessamy Bagenal, Richard Horton, and Gavin Cleaver Podcast editing: Matteo Simonetti Visit https://www.thelancet.com/multimedia to learn more about our multimedia offering.  Find the best science for better lives at thelancet.comFollow us today at...https://thelancet.bsky.social/https://instagram.com/thelancetgrouphttps://facebook.com/thelancetmedicaljournalhttps://linkedIn.com/company/the-lancethttps://youtube.com/thelancettv