Dr Rob Hendry - Medical Protection Society

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MPS UPDATE
UNITED KINGDOM CASEBOOK | VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 1 | JANUARY 2011 www.mps.org.uk
CONTRIBUTORS
Dr Stephanie Bown
Editor-in-chief
Gareth Gillespie
Editor
Sara Williams
Assistant editor and senior writer
Sarah Whitehouse
Assistant editor and writer
Dr Monica Lalanda
Medical writer
EDITORIAL BOARD
Dr Tina Ambury, Dr David Delvin, Dr Lyn Griffiths,
Dr John Lourie, Dr Sonya McCullough, Dr Jayne
Molodynski, Rachel Morris, Dr Amanda Platts,
Dr Frank Rugman
LAYOUT BOARD
Dr Nick Clements, David Croser, Dr Marika
Davies, Dr Lyn Griffiths, Dr Tim Hegan, Dr Graham
Howarth, Dr Su Jones, Dr Ming-Keng Teoh
PRODUCTION
Production manager – Philip Walker
Design – Jayne Perfect
Print:
United Kingdom – TU Ink
Ireland – TU Ink
Caribbean – TU Ink
New Zealand – Southern Colour
Africa – HMPG
Asia – Sampoorna
CASE REPORT WRITERS
Dr Sara Chambers
Freelance GP
Portsmouth
Dr Anna Fox
Salaried GP
Leeds
Dr Sean Kavanagh
Freelance author and former
physician, Yorkshire
Dr Sabreena Malik
Dr Gerard McKeague
GP partner
Belfast
Dr Mareeni Raymond
Academic ST4 GP
North London
Dr Zoe Schaedel
PLEASE ADDRESS CORRESPONDENCE TO
Casebook Editor, Medical Protection Society,
Granary Wharf House, Leeds LS11 5PY, UK.
casebook@mps.org.uk
Thinking clearly
MPS Medical Director Dr Priya Singh asks
if we take our cognitive ability for granted
Delivering medical care involves highlytrained
professionals working in high risk
environments, with dynamic conditions
and time and workload pressures. We
are expected, as individuals and as
teams, to have situational awareness, so
that we have the capacity to anticipate
and to perform.
Our clinical skills are best
complemented by a range of nontechnical
skills, with cognition an
obvious essential. For communication
to be effective we need to be in a
position to be receptive – to our patient,
to our environment and to our own
thoughts and emotions. Anything that
gives rise to distraction or negative
emotion can impair our cognitive
function, so creating a risk to the
delivery of safe care.
Given that so much of patient care is
delivered by teams, poor communication
has a significant impact on performance
and clinical outcomes. So how can we
protect our own, and others’, cognitive
function? Largely by a combination of
consideration and awareness. While
sometimes a real challenge, it is always
hugely rewarding – not least for our
patient – when achieved.
When leading teams, those who
surround themselves with colleagues
or advisers – who reduce or filter their
situational awareness – run the risk
of making flawed decisions. Beware
“group think” – faulty decisions made
because group pressures lead to a
deterioration of mental efficiency, reality
testing and, sometimes, moral judgment.
If everyone in the team feels able to
raise issues, confident that they will be
heard rather than judged or dismissed,
we are all more likely to think clearly and
to see risks being identified and managed.
Education update:
The importance of good communication
In a world of constant, instant
communications it is surprising
how frequently breakdowns in
communication occur. Many will be minor
misunderstandings, but some can have a
devastating impact on the people involved.
The importance of good communication
is evident in studies that show that up
to 70% of litigation is related to poor
communication, where the patient
often feels that they have lacked
information or been misunderstood.
Communication behaviour and
performance are major contributing factors
in many adverse patient outcomes, patient
complaints and dissatisfaction, and claims
against healthcare professionals. The
good news is that if you can improve your
communication skills, then research shows
that you are likely to reduce your risk.
Because MPS strongly believes in the
value of education and risk management,
we have developed a range of risk
management workshops that will assist
healthcare professionals in developing
their communication skills, reducing their
exposure to complaints and litigation.
These workshops draw upon more
than 100 years’ experience and expertise
in helping doctors and other healthcare
professionals with ethical and legal dilemmas
that arise from their clinical practice, and to
date they have been attended by more than
10,000 healthcare professionals worldwide.
The workshops form a significant
part of an expanding portfolio of
educational programmes for healthcare
professionals. To get more information
on the educational resources available to
you, visit: www.medicalprotection.org.
Visit www.medicalprotection.org/uk/education for
details of MPS events, courses and workshops in your area
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