The Medical Protection New Zealand podcast

When doctors receive an HDC complaint about our clinical care, and expert opinion is always obtained.  How does the GP expert measure our care?  What are the most common errors GPs make?  We are privileged to interview Dr David Maplesden, HDC in-house GP expert, in this series of 3 podcasts.  Over the series David explains how he approaches the cases, his role and the common pitfalls that GPs make...

What is the Council of Medical Colleges and what do they do?  What difference do they make?  We will answer these questions in this podcast.  We are privileged to interview Dr Samantha Murton, current President of the Council and incumbent President of the College of General Practitioners. 

You are driving home after dinner with friends.  You are stopped at a checkpoint and find yourself over the limit when breath-tested.  What should you do?  What should you not do?  This scenario is not uncommon in NZ.  How about if the police want to interview you after a patient has complained that you examined them inappropriately?  Whilst uncommon, this certainly happens.  This podcast sets out...

We are encouraged to discuss difficult cases and to review the cases where an unexpected poor outcome has taken place.  In the hospital setting Mortality and Morbidity meetings are very common.  If a complaint follows are the minutes of these meetings discoverable?  What about registrar reflections which are a requirement of specialty training? This podcast discusses these questions and how you ca...

We have fielded calls from members who have been asked by HR to respond to an allegation of possible serious misconduct for looking in patient files for teaching purposes. Clinicians in teaching hospitals use patient cases for teaching on a daily basis. Do we need patient consent? What if I receive a patient complaint, can I look forward in the notes? We will explore the Privacy Code to answer thi...

Medical Council have been increasingly strict on prescribing for ourselves and family and many doctors have been notified as result.  Is the revised statement a softening? In this podcast we discuss what the revised statement means for doctors.

Except for the grace of God go all of us.  All of make clinical errors because we are human.  Some result in severe patient harm.  In this interesting HDC case we discuss the impact of bias and other factors as possible reasons for not diagnosing a PE on multiple occasions.   

Medication errors are the most common and preventable cause of patient injury.  It can be as simple as the wrong click of a mouse or not checking for medication allergies.  In this podcast we discuss 3 HDC cases from primary and secondary care identifying common traps.     Oyebode F. Clinical errors and medical negligence. Med Princ Pract. 2013;22(4):323-33. [PMC free article] [PubMed]   

In this podcast we explore the pitfalls of communication between specialties, how lack of documentation can impact your HDC response, and the role of a Trainee Intern in a busy ED.  

During a time of industrial action what are our obligations to patients?   How about to the employer?  How do we do this safely?  Sarah Dalton Director of ASMS joins us to explore these questions.

What happens if you are on board a flight to the USA and they ask for a medic. If you put your hand up to help do you risk getting sued by the American patient?  Are you indemnified? Can you safely prescribe all manner of drugs for a boat skipper in case he has an emergency at sea?

You’re driving at speed toward the airport to catch an international flight and you notice a person collapsed on the side of the road with people all around. Do you have to stop? What are your obligations to help in an emergency when you are in New Zealand? Are you going to be covered by your indemnity is the care you provide is outside the scope of your normal practice?

In this interesting podcast we discuss what a fair process looks like in an HDC case where the doctor is accused of not conducting an appropriate capacity assessment before signing a medical certificate.

Right 7 (8) of the Code of Consumer Rights states, Every consumer has the right to express a preference as to who will provide services and have that preference met where practicable.   How should we respond to a patient who requests another surgeon after they had a poor initial outcome?  What if the patient doesn’t want to be treated by a registrar? What about requests for clinicians of a specifi...

Right 7 (8) of the Code of Consumer Rights states, Every consumer has the right to express a preference as to who will provide services and have that preference met where practicable. How should we respond to patient requests to only be treated by staff of a particular race?  Do we need to accommodate their request?  What are your rights as an employee?  We are joined by Sarah Dalton Executive Dir...

Due to increasing work pressures, doctors are increasingly employing non-medical staff to take over traditional GP tasks.  This podcast discusses how doctors can safely supervise Paramedics, Physician Associates and nurses (e.g., cosmetic clinics) including appropriate use of Standing Orders.

Burnout is common, it often sneaks up on us, and can in some cases, be devastating for both patients and clinicians. The numbers on burnout in doctors and med students is depressing.  In this, the second of 2 episodes on preventing burnout, we look at strategies clinicians can employ to prevent burnout. 

Burnout is common, it often sneaks up on us, and can in some cases, be devastating for both patients and clinicians. The numbers on burnout in doctors and med students is depressing. There is a saying, ‘If the goldfish are sick, change the water’. Organisational strategies are as important, if not more important than personal strategies when it comes to preventing burnout. This is the first of 2 p...

In part 2 of our 2 part series on tackling toxic workplaces we address bullying and harassment.  What do you do when you are faced with this behaviour from a colleague?  Iisten to this episode to find out. 

Difficult interactions with colleagues are not only a source of personal stress that can lead to burnout, but also presents potential clinical risk to patients as teamwork is eroded and clinical errors become more likely.  It can also be the motivation behind notification to the Medical Council. In this podcast we discuss how to manage a difficult relationship with a colleague and work towards res...

Becoming a House Officer is a time of huge transition. It can be both exciting and frightening.  In this podcast we discuss potential pitfalls for House Officers starting work.    

Is a ‘robust’ argument unprofessional?  How about venting on my private social media page?  Where is the line between freedom of speech and unprofessional behaviour?  Find out the answers to these and other questions in this podcast. 

Can only plastic surgeons perform cosmetic procedures? What does appropriate consent look like?  Where are the pitfalls? This podcast discusses Medical Council’s expectations and how you can reduce your medicolegal risk in practice. 

What does supervision of other doctors entail?  How closely should I supervise?  Am I responsible if they make a mistake? What do I do if it all goes pear shaped?  We will explore these questions in this podcast.

Do you have a commercial conflict of interest?  Many clinicians now have commercial interests in areas of care outside of their traditional scope of practice: Cardiologists perform echocardiography, GPs own Rest Homes or Skin Clinics, Obstetricians perform their own ultrasound scans and on it goes. Find out if you have a commercial conflict of interest, Medical Council’s standards and how to avoid...