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Avoiding Errors in General Practice
by Kevin Barraclough, Jenny du Toit, Jeremy Budd, Joseph E. Raine, Kate Williams, Jonathan Bonser
Publisher:
Format:
Paperback Book (198 Pages)
Published:
April 2013
ISBN:
9780470673577
Some of the most important and best lessons in a doctor’s career are learnt from mistakes. However, an awareness of the common causes of medical errors and developing positive behaviours can reduce the risk of mistakes and litigation.

Written for Foundation Year doctors, trainees and general practitioners, and unlike any other clinical management title available, Avoiding Errors in General Practice identifies and explains the most common errors likely to occur in an outpatient setting - so that you won’t make them.

The first section in this brand new guide discusses the causes of errors in general practice. The second and largest section consists of case scenarios and includes expert and legal comment as well as clinical teaching points and strategies to help you engage in safer practice throughout your career. The final section discusses how to deal with complaints and the subsequent potential medico-legal consequences, helping to reduce your anxiety when dealing with the consequences of an error.
Invaluable during the Foundation Years, Specialty Training and for Consultants, Avoiding Errors in General Practice is the perfect guide to help tackle the professional and emotional challenges of life as a GP.


Contributors, viii

Preface, ix

Abbreviations, x

Introduction, xii

Part 1

Section 1: The legal structure of negligence, 1

A few words about error, 1

Medical negligence, 1

Learning from system failures – the vincristine example, 6

Reference, 10

Section 2: Causes of diagnostic errors in general practice and how they can be avoided, 11

How do general practitioners reach diagnoses?, 11

Where do errors occur in diagnosis?, 15

How can we minimize the risks of these errors?, 17

References and further reading, 18

Section 3: Bayesian reasoning and avoiding diagnostic errors, 20

References and further reading, 25

Section 4: A potpourri of advice on avoiding errors, 26

History and examination, 26

The telephone consultation, 27

Communication problems, 28

When lack of knowledge plays a part, 28

The unexpectedly abnormal result, 28

The standard of notes, 29

Drug errors or prescribing errors, 30

Consent, 30

Confidentiality, 32

Conditions that are 'frequent flyers' in negligence cases, 33

Safety netting, 34

References and further reading, 36

Part 2 Clinical cases

Introduction, 37

Case 1 A man with iron deficiency, 38

Case 2 When is a headache abrupt?, 41

Case 3 A woman with chest pain, 44

Case 4 A dizzy man, 48

Case 5 Rectal bleeding in a pregnant woman, 51

Case 6 A pulled calf muscle, 54

Case 7 A woman with hemiplegic migraine, 57

Case 8 Irritable bowel syndrome after sickness in Goa, 60

Case 9 A young man with back pain, 64

Case 10 Irregular intermenstrual bleeding in a woman on the pill, 67

Case 11 A boy with a limp, 70

Case 12 A runner with a cough, 72

Case 13 A woman with classical migraine, 74

Case 14 A young woman with diarrhoea and vomiting, 77

Case 15 Ill-fitting dentures in an elderly man, 79

Case 16 Back pain in a middle-aged woman, 82

Case 17 Cellulitis in a man’s foot, 85

Case 18 A flare-up of ulcerative colitis, 88

Case 19 A woman with a skin lump on her leg, 91

Case 20 A woman with microscopic haematuria, 93

Case 21 A limping young girl, 96

Case 22 A builder tripping over his feet, 98

Case 23 An anxious young woman with hyperventilation, 101

Case 24 A slightly raised AST in an Asian woman, 103

Case 25 Cough and fever in a 42-year-old accountant, 105

Case 26 Lost prescription: Benzodiazepine addiction, 108

Case 27 A febrile baby, 110

Case 28 A limping elderly woman after a fall, 113

Case 29 Indigestion in a stressed executive, 116

Case 30 A hoped-for pregnancy, 119

Case 31 A breast lump that disappears, 122

Case 32 Fever and cough after an ankle fusion, 125

Case 33 Urinary problem in a welder, 128

Case 34 A hypertensive 38-year-old woman, 130

Case 35 A swollen lip in a 56-year-old man, 133

Case 36 A woman with fatigue and weight gain, 135

Case 37 A woman told off for ignoring her friends, 137

Case 38 A man with a headache: Swine flu or meningitis?, 140

Case 39 A woman suffering dizziness, 142

Case 40 A middle-aged man with an ankle injury, 144

Part 3 Investigating and dealing with errors

1 Introduction, 147

2 How errors and their recurrence are prevented in primary care, 147

3 The role of the primary care trusts, 150

4 Other investigations, 152

5 Legal advice – where to get it and how to pay, 155

6 External inquiries, 157

7 The role of the doctor, 172

8 Emotional repercussions, 175

9 Conclusion, 175

Reference, 176

Index, 177
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