MALAYSIA


SINGAPORE HEADLINES AND DEADLINES


HONG KONG ASIA CASEBOOK | VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 3 | SEPTEMBER 2011 www.medicalprotection.org


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Doctors reminded about consent note-keeping


Doctors in Singapore have been reminded of the importance of keeping detailed notes when taking consent.


Attendees of the MPS-SMA Informed Consent Forum and the Mt Elizabeth Consent seminar on 28 June were told that good practice guidelines regarding note-keeping have not changed. Concerns were raised over the issue following the publicised High Court judgement in rejecting an appeal of the Singapore Medical Council decision in the Eu Kong Weng case. Doctors were advised to remain vigilant in taking consent and recording details of the process in the patients’ medical records. The seminars identified a


need for: ■ ■ Doctors to accept that a shift towards patient-centred consent is a positive move, and for it to be seen as an opportunity to build trust in the patient–doctor relationship


■■ Patients to be warned of any risks which may affect the


decisions they make regarding their medical care and treatment


■■ The process of obtaining consent is more than just an event; it includes the consultations leading to the final consent form being signed. Therefore the discussion of options, benefits of treatment and warnings of risks are all part of the process and should be recorded in the patient records.


■■ Improving the overall standards of documentation; in particular, the consent form, the risk acknowledgement form, and patients’ medical records. The two seminars were held in Singapore in June 2011, in response to requests from members.


Complaints against doctors up 58%


The release of the Singapore Medical Council’s (SMC) Annual Report has revealed a 58% jump in the number of complaints made against doctors in 2010, compared to the previous year. This represented 152


complaints, with alleged professional negligence and incompetence being the most common grounds for complaints. Other complaints included rudeness or poor attitude, unnecessary treatments, and excessive or inappropriate prescription of drugs.


Results of patient


satisfaction survey The first Hong Kong-wide patient satisfaction survey has been accepted and endorsed by the Hospital Authority (HA). The HA Board has said that it will study


the findings and recommendations, and use them to shape and plan the delivery of healthcare in public hospitals. The survey was commissioned in 2009


to examine the experiences of inpatients in public hospitals under the HA – with around 5,000 patients interviewed via telephone to assess their experiences and satisfaction with public healthcare services. HA Chief Executive Dr Leung Pak-


yin said: “The survey results are encouraging: 80% of patients rated their care as excellent, very good or good. Meanwhile, almost 90% of patients showed they have confidence and trust in doctors and nurses.”


Patient records:


access all areas Patient records are to be turned into digital information by 2015, granting at least 20 government hospitals mutual access to the records. Last year, the government began its process of


modernising the hospital record system nationwide. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said that around 15 government hospitals have used digital patient records, including Serdang Hospital, Putrajaya Hospital and Kuantan Hospital, but they are yet to be inter-connected to access each other’s records. Mr Liow said: “Most of the records in our hospitals are done manually. So, now we are converting all our records into a digitised system. “Once this is done, the records in Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) can also be used in the Serdang Hospital and that of Serdang Hospital can be used in Putrajaya Hospital. All will be interconnected. So, we are upgrading our system to make it more sophisticated and so that we could deliver better services to the people.” www.thesundaily.my


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