3 ON THE COVER 10 A duty to treat…and to tell?
Confidentiality in the doctor–patient relationship is not absolute; Sarah Whitehouse looks at the balance between your responsibilities to your patients and to society.
6 Guidance watch The latest information from NICE.
7 Debating DNAR orders
Sarah Whitehouse looks at this topical issue and asks if presumed patient consent should remain.
8 Pregnancy problems – think beyond asphyxia
Sara Williams highlights two obstetric cases where doctors faced diagnostic challenges during the early stages of pregnancy.
ALSO THIS ISSUE 4 Your MPS
In addition to MPS Medical Director Dr Priya Singh’s regular column, you can also read about the latest offerings from Educational Services and find out what MPS has been up to in YOUR part of the world.
6 Headlines and deadlines
The latest news on legislation, events and open consultations in the UK.
13 On the case Dr Rob Hendry, MPS Deputy Medical Director, introduces this issue’s selection of case reports.
14 Case reports
14 Too quick to clear the spine 15 Too many records spoil the notes 16 Ignoring the cold foot 17 Right patient – wrong sample 18 More than a bruise 19 “Just a quick look” can be costly 20 Double problem, double risk 21 An unfortunate prescription 22 Symptoms that don’t add up 23 Your patient, your responsibility
24 Over to you
A sounding board for you, the reader – what did you think about the last issue of Casebook? All comments and suggestions welcome.
26 Reviews
This issue, Philippa Pigache reviews Zero Degrees of Empathy: A New Theory of Human Cruelty, by Simon Baron Cohen, while Wendy Moore reviews Great Discoveries in Medicine, by William and Helen Bynum.
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Visit our website for further Casebook issues, a wealth of publications, news, events and other information:
www.mps.org.uk 23
Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors. Pictures should not be relied upon as accurate representations of clinical situations. © The Medical Protection Society Limited 2012. All rights are reserved.
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16 5 Welcome
Dr Stephanie Bown – Editor-in-chief MPS Director of Policy and Communications
The impact of the global recession continues to be felt in many jurisdictions where MPS operates and the consequences of rising costs in clinical negligence claims will be felt ever more keenly.
Although the medical profession can offer a financially rewarding career, no-one is immune to the kind of cost increases that cause a health practitioner to question the affordability of their medical indemnity. But increases in claims costs, together with an increase in the number of claims – which are continuing seemingly unabated, particularly in the UK, South Africa and Ireland – make this scenario more realistic.
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Many members contact us in dismay that they seem to be feeling the hand of the regulator more often than ever before. We have attempted to identify the reasons why claims and complaints are on the rise – depersonalisation of the doctor–patient relationship, higher patient expectations, errors from working in high stress environments with stretched resources; these are all real issues that face each of you every day.
This is where we hope that Casebook has a part to play. No-one can stop all claims from occurring but we can help to highlight what you can do to ensure that you have a robust defence at your disposal.
I do hope that you find Casebook, and the other range of medicolegal publications that MPS produces, to be sufficiently supportive in these trying times. Please get in touch with any comments or suggestions; it is really helpful to receive your feedback.
Cover: © Joshua Hodge Photography/
iStockphoto.com
EDITORIAL
UNITED KINGDOM CASEBOOK | VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 1 | JANUARY 2012
www.mps.org.uk
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