Duties of a doctor
The General Medical Council (GMC) lists the duties of a doctor in its document Good medical practice. The duties can be thought of under three headings (the 3 Cs): competency, communication, correctness (or probity).
Competency
• Keep your professional knowledge and skills up to date. •
• Recognize the limits of your professional competence.
(i) Perfor an adequate assessment of the patient’s conditions, based on the history and symptoms and, if necessary, an examination.
(ii) Arrange investigations or treatment where necessary.
(iii) Take suitable and prompt action when necessary.
(iv) Refer the patient to another practitioner when indicated.
(v) Be willing to consult colleagues.
(vi) Keep clear, accurate, legible, and contemporaneous patient records that report relevant clinical findings, decisions made, information given to patients, and any drugs or other treatment prescribed.
(vii) Keep colleagues well informed when sharing the care of patients.
(viii) Pro the necessary care to alleviate pain and distress whether or not curative treatment is possible.
(ix) Prescribe drugs or treatment, including repeat prescriptions, only where you have adequate knowledge of the patient’s health and medical needs. You must neither give or recommend to patients any investigation or treatment that you know is not in their best interests, nor withhold appropriate treatments or referral.
(x) Report adverse drug reactions as required under the relevant reporting scheme and cooperate with requests for information from organizations monitoring the public health.
(xi) Take part in regular and systematic medical and clinical audit, recording data honestly, and respond to the results of audit to improve your practice, e.g. by undertaking further training.
Communication
• Treat every patient politely and considerately.
• Respect patients’ dignity and privacy.
• Listen to patients and respect their views.
• Give patients information in a way they can understand.
Correctness (or probity)
• Make the care of your patient your fi rst concern.
• Respect the rights of patients to be involved in decisions.
• Be honest and trustworthy.
• Respect and protect confi dential information.
• Make sure your personal beliefs do not prejudice your patients’ care.
• Act quickly to protect patients from risk if you have good reason to believe that you or a colleague may not be fi t to practise.
• Avoid abusing your position as a doctor.
• Work with colleagues in the ways that best serve patients’ interests.
• In an emergency, wherever it may arise, you must offer anyone at risk the assistance you could reasonably be expected to provide.
The General Medical Council (GMC) lists the duties of a doctor in its document Good medical practice. The duties can be thought of under three headings (the 3 Cs): competency, communication, correctness (or probity).
Competency
• Keep your professional knowledge and skills up to date. •
• Recognize the limits of your professional competence.
(i) Perfor an adequate assessment of the patient’s conditions, based on the history and symptoms and, if necessary, an examination.
(ii) Arrange investigations or treatment where necessary.
(iii) Take suitable and prompt action when necessary.
(iv) Refer the patient to another practitioner when indicated.
(v) Be willing to consult colleagues.
(vi) Keep clear, accurate, legible, and contemporaneous patient records that report relevant clinical findings, decisions made, information given to patients, and any drugs or other treatment prescribed.
(vii) Keep colleagues well informed when sharing the care of patients.
(viii) Pro the necessary care to alleviate pain and distress whether or not curative treatment is possible.
(ix) Prescribe drugs or treatment, including repeat prescriptions, only where you have adequate knowledge of the patient’s health and medical needs. You must neither give or recommend to patients any investigation or treatment that you know is not in their best interests, nor withhold appropriate treatments or referral.
(x) Report adverse drug reactions as required under the relevant reporting scheme and cooperate with requests for information from organizations monitoring the public health.
(xi) Take part in regular and systematic medical and clinical audit, recording data honestly, and respond to the results of audit to improve your practice, e.g. by undertaking further training.
Communication
• Treat every patient politely and considerately.
• Respect patients’ dignity and privacy.
• Listen to patients and respect their views.
• Give patients information in a way they can understand.
Correctness (or probity)
• Make the care of your patient your fi rst concern.
• Respect the rights of patients to be involved in decisions.
• Be honest and trustworthy.
• Respect and protect confi dential information.
• Make sure your personal beliefs do not prejudice your patients’ care.
• Act quickly to protect patients from risk if you have good reason to believe that you or a colleague may not be fi t to practise.
• Avoid abusing your position as a doctor.
• Work with colleagues in the ways that best serve patients’ interests.
• In an emergency, wherever it may arise, you must offer anyone at risk the assistance you could reasonably be expected to provide.
Comments
Post a Comment