In a message dated 06/08/96 23:59:21, Doug Jenkinson writes:
> and fear of the consequences
>of being wrong. This is in part cultural because nowadays a doctor
>is unlikely to be forgiven for missing serious disease.
If you are afraid of rare consequences of your actions, if you cannot justify
your actions against the examination of those actions by your peers, then you
are not practising good medicine. You only have to be as good as the average
gp, not the royal colleges best guess protocol, enhanced with hindsight. Good
records showing that rarities have been considered and looked for but
dismissed for their rarity will still be an adequate defence.
> I frequently
>ask myself why medical colleagues and their relatives get more thoroughly
>investigated. It is not just zeal. It is recognising that even long
>odds sometimes come up and the scope for criticism is greater. Why do we
>not investigate all our patients as thoroughly? Rationalisations
>on a postcard please to................
Please see BMJ personal views over the years for multiple critiscisms of over
investigating and treating doctors and their wives. I speak from (anonymously
published) experience. It is even more difficult when the patient/patients
spouse is repeatedly asked for their management opinion from the specialist
they are seeing. We need to continue to not be panicked into irrational
overinvestigation for any reason.
Trefor Roscoe Email; [log in to unmask]
Beighton Health Centre Tel 0114 - 269 5061
Queens Road, Beighon Fax 0114 - 269 7186
Sheffield S19 6BJ
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