Advice centre

As a collective whole, doctors are regarded as “professionals” both by the public and by their peers. They remain the most trusted profession among the public, which has been the case for many years. Individually, some doctors may fall short of the mark. But what do we mean by professionalism? And how much bearing does this definition have on the behaviours expected of a doctor? Firstly, we need to be clear about exactly what a profession is.

Today’s doctors are working in a constantly evolving environment, where many of the old expectations regarding the role of doctors, nurses and patients are being replaced by new ones. The roles themselves are changing – doctors are clinicians, leaders, teachers, managers, commissioners and purchasers of services.

Any doctor who specialises in a particular field would be expected to keep up-todate in that area. This would apply to all fields of medicine. Surgeons with a special interest would be expected to keep up-to-date with developments both in the field of general surgery and their area of special interest.

Good Medical Practice advises doctors that they must be honest and trustworthy when signing forms, reports and other documents. It also requires doctors to make sure that any documents they write or sign are not false or misleading

Patient A: I’ve got a very good GP now, I have got a GP who actually knows what fibromyalgia is, he’s prepared just to sit and listen, he listens a lot, he’ll let me try new medications, obviously because of my science background I probably know more about fibromyalgia than he does because I read so much in research papers, but he’s very willing to let me be a guinea pig and to work with me, which I think is important with a doctor/patient relationship, you’ve got to work on this path of chronic pain together.

Legible notes must be kept primarily to assist the patient when receiving treatment. But, secondly, should there be any future litigation against your hospital the notes will form the basis of the hospital’s defence. Notes are a reflection of the quality of care given so get into the habit of writing comprehensive and contemporaneous notes.

Sometimes, when an adverse incident occurs, the GMC can take action if a doctor’s fitness to practise is called into question, which could be due to: