Making audio and visual recordings of patients - Wales
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Making and using audio and visual recordings of patients can benefit medical training, research and treatment. However, it poses risks for doctors regarding consent and confidentiality.
Needlestick injuries can be classified as any piercing wound caused by a hypodermic needle, or by other sharp instruments or objects such as scalpels, mounted needles, broken glassware, etc.
Valid consent is just as important when treating children and young people as it is with adults. In some situations children are able to give consent themselves, and sometimes others need to take the decision on their behalf. This factsheet sets out the basic information to enable you to obtain the appropriate consent from children and young people.
Communicating with patients by text message - Wales
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Text messaging allows practices to target and contact hundreds of patients within minutes. Patients can respond by text with replies automatically forwarded to a specified email address. Many practices are signing up to using a text messaging service to inform patients of appointments, flu vaccinations, etc.
Good medical records – whether electronic or handwritten – are essential for the continuity of care of your patients. Adequate medical records enable you or somebody else to reconstruct the essential parts of each patient contact without reference to memory. They should therefore be comprehensive enough to allow a colleague to carry on where you left off.
Certain circumstances can mean you are obliged to disclose information about a patient, even if you do not have their consent; under other circumstances, disclosure may be justifiable. This factsheet gives you further information about these circumstances.
Disclosures relating to patients unable to consent - Scotland
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You owe a duty of confidentiality to all your patients, past or present, even if they are adults who lack capacity. You may be asked to provide information from the medical records of patients who are incapable of giving consent, are aged under 16, or have died. This factsheet gives you further information about dealing with these circumstances.
Respect for patients’ autonomy is expressed in consent law; to impose care or treatment on people without respecting their wishes and right to self-determination is not only unethical, but illegal.
Respect for patients autonomy is expressed in consent law; to impose care or treatment on people without respecting their wishes and right to self-determination is not only unethical, but illegal.
The NHS statutory duty of candour was extended to all GP practices in April. Since then Medical Protection has received many inquiries from GP members on what this means for them. Rachel Birch, Medicolegal Adviser, responds to these concerns.
Effective time management is central to being a good doctor. Professor Allan Gaw, from the National Institute of Health Research, shares his top tips to help you manage your time.
Confidentiality - Disclosures relating to patients unable to consent
Time to read article: 4 mins
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You owe a duty of confidentiality to all your patients, past or present, even if they are adults who lack capacity. You may be asked to provide information from the medical records of patients who are incapable of giving consent, are aged under 18, or have died. This factsheet gives you further information about dealing with these circumstances.
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Making and using audio and visual recordings of patients can benefit medical training, research and treatment. However, it poses risks for doctors regarding consent and confidentiality. In addition, all recordings from which living individuals can be identified constitute personal data and are subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act.
Read real-life cases of complaints, claims and clinical negligence taken from our archives.
Chosen to give you clear learning points to help you avoid similar situations and reduce your risk, the cases also feature advice from medicolegal experts.
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