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CONTRIBUTORS Dr Stephanie Bown


Editor-in-chief


Gareth Gillespie Editor


Thinking clearly


MPS Medical Director Dr Priya Singh asks if we take our cognitive ability for granted


Sara Williams Assistant editor and senior writer


Sarah Whitehouse Assistant editor and writer


Delivering medical care involves highly- trained professionals working in high risk environments, with dynamic conditions and time and workload pressures. We are expected, as individuals and as teams, to have situational awareness, so that we have the capacity to anticipate and to perform. Our clinical skills are best


Dr Monica Lalanda Medical writer


EDITORIAL BOARD


Dr Tina Ambury, Dr David Delvin, Dr Lyn Griffiths, Dr John Lourie, Dr Sonya McCullough, Dr Jayne Molodynski, Rachel Morris, Dr Amanda Platts, Dr Frank Rugman


LAYOUT BOARD


Dr Nick Clements, David Croser, Dr Marika Davies, Dr Lyn Griffiths, Dr Tim Hegan, Dr Graham Howarth, Dr Su Jones, Dr Ming-Keng Teoh


PRODUCTION


Production manager – Philip Walker Design – Jayne Perfect Print:


United Kingdom – TU Ink Ireland – TU Ink Caribbean – TU Ink New Zealand – Southern Colour Africa – HMPG Asia – Sampoorna


CASE REPORT WRITERS


Dr Sara Chambers Freelance GP Portsmouth


Dr Anna Fox Salaried GP Leeds


Dr Sean Kavanagh Freelance author and former physician, Yorkshire


Dr Sabreena Malik


Dr Gerard McKeague GP partner Belfast


Dr Mareeni Raymond Academic ST4 GP North London


Dr Zoe Schaedel


PLEASE ADDRESS CORRESPONDENCE TO Casebook Editor, Medical Protection Society, Granary Wharf House, Leeds LS11 5PY, UK. casebook@mps.org.uk


Visit www.medicalprotection.org/uk/education for details of MPS events, courses and workshops in your area


Education update: The importance of good communication Because MPS strongly believes in the


In a world of constant, instant communications it is surprising how frequently breakdowns in communication occur. Many will be minor misunderstandings, but some can have a devastating impact on the people involved. The importance of good communication


is evident in studies that show that up to 70% of litigation is related to poor communication, where the patient often feels that they have lacked information or been misunderstood. Communication behaviour and


performance are major contributing factors in many adverse patient outcomes, patient complaints and dissatisfaction, and claims against healthcare professionals. The good news is that if you can improve your communication skills, then research shows that you are likely to reduce your risk.


value of education and risk management, we have developed a range of risk management workshops that will assist healthcare professionals in developing their communication skills, reducing their exposure to complaints and litigation. These workshops draw upon more


than 100 years’ experience and expertise in helping doctors and other healthcare professionals with ethical and legal dilemmas that arise from their clinical practice, and to date they have been attended by more than 10,000 healthcare professionals worldwide. The workshops form a significant


part of an expanding portfolio of educational programmes for healthcare professionals. To get more information on the educational resources available to you, visit: www.medicalprotection.org.


complemented by a range of non- technical skills, with cognition an obvious essential. For communication to be effective we need to be in a position to be receptive – to our patient, to our environment and to our own thoughts and emotions. Anything that gives rise to distraction or negative emotion can impair our cognitive function, so creating a risk to the delivery of safe care. Given that so much of patient care is delivered by teams, poor communication


has a significant impact on performance and clinical outcomes. So how can we protect our own, and others’, cognitive function? Largely by a combination of consideration and awareness. While sometimes a real challenge, it is always hugely rewarding – not least for our patient – when achieved. When leading teams, those who


surround themselves with colleagues or advisers – who reduce or filter their situational awareness – run the risk of making flawed decisions. Beware


“group think” – faulty decisions made because group pressures lead to a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing and, sometimes, moral judgment. If everyone in the team feels able to


raise issues, confident that they will be heard rather than judged or dismissed, we are all more likely to think clearly and to see risks being identified and managed.


MPS UPDATE


UNITED KINGDOM CASEBOOK | VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 1 | JANUARY 2011 www.mps.org.uk


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