Rent-a-quack: The Lucy Letby case has me reflecting on our own medical expert issues
In a recent Medical Observer opinion piece on the Lucy Letby case, Professor Amel Alghrani argued that relying on expert doctors in criminal medical cases could…
Tag: Medicolegal
Medical identity fraud: When your patient isn’t who they say they are
GPs are being urged to be on the alert for patient imposters. The warning was issued by Avant, which says cases of Medicare identity fraud…
Has a patient asked you to ‘bend the rules’? Here’s some guidance on unreasonable requests
“Jake seemed quite distressed during the appointment. I provided him with referrals, as I was worried about the knee mass and did not want to…
Doctors allowed to resect seven-year-old’s brain tumour as Jehovah’s Witnesses opt against court fight
Emergency surgery to resect a seven-year-old’s brain tumour will go ahead after the child’s Jehovah’s Witness parents decided not to fight doctors in court over…
Locum physician sanctioned for walking out of ‘unsafe’ hospital after seeing one patient
This article has been updated. See footnote. A doctor who walked off a locum job after 45 minutes because she believed the hospital was unsafe…
Do you feel challenged when your patient requests a second opinion?
When a patient asks for a second opinion, it’s natural for doctors to worry that their expertise is being challenged, or to feel nervous that…
Dr William Bay’s return to general practice lasts just three days
The former GP registrar who successfully beat an emergency suspension for his anti-COVID-19 vaccine rant at an AMA conference finally returned to practice last week.…
Has a patient asked to record a consultation? It’s worth thinking twice before saying no
Ever been faced with a patient asking if they can record the consultation, or suspected that a patient is recording covertly? Recording healthcare consultations is…
Chinese medicine practitioner tells tribunal he did not understand that the pancreas produced insulin
A Chinese medicine practitioner whose patient died after stopping her diabetes medication believed that toxins were responsible for high glucose levels, a tribunal has heard.…
Sharing my personal history brought me closer to my patients — some boundaries are meant to be broken
In these troubled times, I feel a responsibility to increase awareness of history’s lessons and the role of the individual in fighting tyranny to create…
