Medico-Legal
The third wave of the Covid-19 medico-legal query
Ms Síle O’Dowd, Legal Counsel, Medisec, outlines how medico-legal queries in relation to the pandemic have changed over the past year Nearly a year on from the date of the first positive Covid-19 case in Ireland, and it is true to say over that time we have witnessed a rapid evolution of the common Covid-19…
Read MoreLet’s talk: Tough conversations with colleagues
Expressing concerns to colleagues or handling difficult behaviour can be challenging. Dr James Thorpe and Dr Sarah Coope, Senior Medical Educators at Medical Protection, provide some insights that may help tonavigate stressful conversations at work Since the start of the pandemic, Medical Protection has received numerous requests for advice from doctors that relate to medico-legal…
Read MoreTelemedicine beyond Covid-19
While telemedicine has been increasing in use gradually over the years, Covid-19 has been the catalyst for large-scale adoption. Recently, the Medical Council reported a five-fold increase in the use of telemedicine in Ireland since the start of the pandemic, and it is proactively looking at the regulatory challenges presented by the increase in its…
Read MorePreparing a response strategy for angry and aggressive patients
Ms Aisling Timoney, GP Lead Counsel, Medisec, outlines how doctors should respond to aggressive behaviour from patients A year into the Covid-19 pandemic, both patients and doctors continue to face unprecedented challenges and stressors. In Medisec, we see daily queries regarding patients becoming irate and at times abusive over the level of access to healthcare…
Read MoreThe principles of informed consent
Every clinical interaction involving a patient who has capacity rests upon a foundation of consent. Ms Diane Baylis, Clinical Risk Educator at Medical Protection, explores the principles of consent and provides advice on how to obtain valid consent from patients With a proliferation of litigation in clinical negligence there has been a paradigm shift in…
Read MoreManaging complaints effectively
Doctors have expressed serious concerns about facing an increase in patient complaints following decisions they are making in good faith during these unprecedented times. Ms Diane Baylis, Clinical Risk Educator at Medical Protection, discusses how to handle complaints efficiently and learn from them Doctors have been and continue to work in uniquely challenging circumstances during…
Read MoreHow to handle negative online reviews
Ms Dee Duffy, Risk Lead Counsel with Medisec, advises on what to do in the event of a patient posting an unfavourable review on the Internet Increasingly, many patients consider healthcare services akin to a consumer service and want to rate their doctors online. Anecdotally it seems patients are more likely to leave negative reviews…
Read MoreHaving asked and listened – will we hear?
Prof Peter Gillen, Associate Professor of Surgery in RCSI and Clinical Advisor to the National Healthcare Communication Programme, outlines the value of the recently published National Maternity Experience Survey Surveys are everywhere these days. Healthcare has not remained immune to the survey surge. While many object to patients being labelled as ‘consumers’ it is interesting…
Read MoreHow to respond to a request to amend medical records
Dr James Thorpe and Dr Jayne Molodynski, medico-legal consultants at Medical Protection, provide advice and guidance on whether a patient can request amendments to their medical records Clinicians and practice staff regularly contact Medical Protection for advice on handling approaches from patients about information contained in their medical records. Issues range from disputes about the…
Read MoreSuspicious minds: How to react if a patient has been recording you without your knowledge
Mr Niall Rooney, Legal Counsel in Medisec, provides advice for medical practitioners on the growing issue of patients recording consultations Smartphones have been described as weapons of mass distraction. Whether you embrace the technology or regard our reliance on smartphones as an addiction, they are everywhere and are, undoubtedly, here to stay. You may even…
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