Footnotes

• Contributors DN drafted the manuscript. All authors made edits and agreed on the final manuscript.

• Funding DN has received expenses and fees for his media work. He holds grant funding from the NIHR School of Primary Care Research and the Royal College of General Practitioners. On occasion, he receives expenses for teaching EBM. CH has received expenses and fees for his media work. He holds grant funding from the NIHR, the NIHR School of Primary Care Research, The Wellcome Trust and the WHO. On occasion, he receives expenses for teaching EBM and is also paid for his GP work in NHS out of hours.

• Disclaimer The views expressed in this commentary represent the views of the authors and not necessarily those of their host institution, the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.

• Competing interests None declared.

• Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.