In message <003501c4e50e$a418ad40$0402a8c0@Belkin>, Fay Wilson
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>From: "Mary Hawking" <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Saturday, December 18, 2004 1:50 PM
>
>
>> In message <005c01c4e4ef$f8c51a00$0402a8c0@Belkin>, Fay Wilson
>> <[log in to unmask]> writes
>>
>> >IIRC some research done in Canada in the 1990s suggested that at any time
>> >about 10% of doctors would be performing below standard for one reason or
>> >another. I remember this only because I was at that time involved in
>> >devising a screening tool for finding poorly performing GPs. 15% seems a
>bit
>> >high.
>>
>> How do you set the standards?
>> I would have expected 50% to perform below average, and 50% above.
>
>Sorry I have not been clear: below standard means below minimum standard not
>below average.
How do you establish minimum standards?
Medicine changes.
Take asthma.
When I qualified (IIRC!) there was no prevention and we were using
epinephrine and slow intravenous theophylline.
I have passed through this stage to salbutamol to nebulisers to
regarding the need for nebulisers as almost a significant event.
I'm in a practice within a mile of a DGH.
Our local paramedics are brilliant - and it has been a long time since I
have even thought of holding up treatment by attending probable heart
attacks.
The situation would be different if I was in a rural or island
situation.
Should I be judged by the circumstances in an isolated community - or
the GPs practising in isolated situations have their surgical and
obstetric skills judged by the GP or specialist levels of tertiary care?
I'm not disagreeing with the principle - just looking at the
practicalities of establishing "minimum standards" when the job is not
uniform.
BTW , supposing everyone can agree what "minimum standards" in any
particular situation were, how would you handle mobility? And what do
you do with GPs who fall below them? Legal implications? Especially if
there is an assumption that x% ought to fail...
>PS Alternative career as electrician revised since I have had a Man in to
>fix electrics (10 mins) while I was more productive sorting out the triage
>queue at the OOH centre
I do think that becoming an electrician might require retraining ;-<
MaryH
>
>Fay
>
--
Mary Hawking
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