Methadone overdose in children
Earlier this month a two-year-old boy in Birmingham died from an overdose of methadone and his three-year-old brother was left seriously ill. This was the most recent of a number of high-profile cases over the years where children have managed to gain access to medication used routinely to wean addicts off heroin.
Lost for words
...Mr V claimed he asked specifically about complications, risks or side-effects of the procedure. Mr A had replied that there was no risk as it was a simple operation done with a laser through the mouth...
Continuity of care
Commonly in modern medical practice the patient consults or is reviewed by several different doctors. This is true both of general practice and hospital care.
An unnecessary procedure
...he was at fault for first accepting the referral from the GP without having the necessary expertise and for opting for circumcision without sufficient cause... other more conservative options should have been considered...
Informed is forewarned
...The surgeon briefed Mrs L on the procedure but did not think it necessary to discuss the very slight risk of deep infection (spondylo-discitis/osteomyelitis) attendant to the procedure...
Patient discharges at Christmas
Hospitals can be dull at the best of times for patients but especially so at Christmas, and this can put doctors under pressure to authorise early discharge.
The good news is...
...With the subsequent delay in confirming the diagnosis, the patient's pregnancy advances to such a stage that termination can no longer be carried out locally and she must travel to London for the procedure...
A brush with the law
A GP receives a letter from the GMC in regard to a failure to declare a conviction for a criminal offence. It turns out that an article in a local newspaper had reported that that the GP had been arrested and charged for driving at excessive speed and the story had been picked up by the GMC to the doctor's great surprise.
An unwelcome embellishment
...It turned out that Mr K was not an enthusiastic typist and, in situations like this, would supplement the computerised records with handwritten notes...
"Delete" is not enough
Disposing of redundant or obsolete computers comes with some potential pitfalls as the Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust recently discovered.