Can a patient be a ‘friend’?
Not best advised according to new BMA guidance for doctors using online social media
Emailing confidential patient data
Take extra care when emailing confidential patient data to ensure the information is effectively protected. Use the minimum amount of detail necessary and encrypt data where practical.
Tweet with care
Think carefully before making comments on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.
A dangerous misunderstanding
WHY do some patients fail to follow medical advice? The answer could be a simple communication failure.
Bribery by any other name
The cherished - by some - freebie may soon pose more than just an ethical dilemma
Take care with patient falls
Take care with patient falls both in the immediate response and follow-up and ensure proper emergency protocols are in place.
Being rude to colleagues threatens patient safety
Rudeness and a lack of mutual respect among clinical teams can compromise patient safety and add to the risk of complaints and potential litigation.
Common sense approach to home visits in poor weather
A number of GPs have been calling MDDUS for advice about their obligations to visit patients in the current adverse weather conditions. Doctors must make every reasonable effort to undertake home visits to ill patients but should avoid creating further problems by becoming snowbound or having an accident while travelling.
Caution urged over patient gifts
CHRISTMAS is fast approaching and your patients might take the opportunity to offer a gift - but could accepting it compromise your professional judgement?
Student work placements
BUDDING doctors and dentists rely on work experience to get a foot on the career ladder - but these placements are not risk-free.