How to make diseases disappear

How to make diseases disappear | Rangan Chatterjee | TEDxLiverpool Can you actually make a disease disappear? Dr Rangan Chatterjee thinks you can. Often referred to as the doctor of the future, Rangan is changing the way that we look at illness and how medicine will be practised in years to come. He highlighted his […]

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What doctors need to know about informed consent

The Hippocratic Post - Informed consent

Informed consent in medicine is essential. In March 2015, the Supreme Court handed down its judgment in Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board, which raised the legal standard for what informed consent actually means.  The case has shaken the medical profession.  Dr Daniel Sokol, barrister and ethicist, discusses its significance to patients and their relatives. Sinister beginnings On 19th August 1947, 20 […]

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Medics tackling alcohol misuse

alcohol treatment

Health professionals are at the forefront of tackling the problem of alcohol misuse in our society. For many people, problem drinking may only be flagged up when they go to see their GP on another matter or attend A&E in a crisis. It’s an ongoing project at the Medical Council on Alcohol to educate medical professionals […]

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Doctors need empathy

empathy

Empathy in clinical practice is an essential component of the doctor-patient relationship. This is the understanding of how another human being is feeling without going through the emotional rollercoaster yourself.  Unfortunately, however, it is often lacking. Indeed, studies of medical undergraduate education reveal some evidence that there is a decline in empathy as students move […]

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Grown up time-out

I absolutely loved being an expedition doctor. The first time I realised how many opportunities there were for medics who wanted adventure was in 2010.  I applied for a voluntary position with the charity Raleigh International coordinating medical help for young trekkers in Borneo. Although the job was only for three months, I took a full year out between jobs […]

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Why multiple jeopardy is wrong

The Hippocratic Post - complaint procedures

Despite having observed at first hand the effects of patient complaint procedures against doctors for several years now, I have been surprised by the extent of doctors’ unhappiness and despair at what they see as a vindictive and unfair process. The number of patient complaints against doctors has risen significantly in recent years – with […]

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Doctors need to toughen up

The Hippocratic Post - doctors

Doctors and healthcare workers need to accept that they are at risk of being sued or having a complaint made against them.  It is one of the downsides of being a professional.  As a barrister, I accept this risk every time I give legal advice.  There are lawyers who specialise in suing other lawyers, and […]

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Flexible Careers Scheme for NHS Hospital Doctors

The Hippocratic Post - Flexible Careers Scheme

The Flexible Careers Scheme is a response to the Improving Working Lives Initiative, which aims to make the National Health Service a better place to work. The IWL standard sets out the expectations placed on NHS employers to support staff and promote their welfare and development, in order to create a healthy and productive balance […]

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