Fantastic job on the poster. Covered a lot of difficulty dilemmas but giving realistic, balanced answers to these.
Presented useful data to support your arguments and I enjoy the bold use of colour.
How do you think charging an individual for inappropriately attending A&E or GP with a small fine would relate to the four pillars of medical ethics?
As aspiring clinicians, what do you think is more important; our own mental well-being during Covid pandemic or patient care?
I think that they are both very interesting questions and ones which should be addressed through government legislation.
In terms of fines for missed appointments, there is the argument that it would support the principle of non-maleficence. More public awareness is needed about the harm that such ‘wasted’ appointments could do for more critical patients, due to the problem of limited capacity and increased demand.
However, this conflicts with the principle of justice, as some patients may not otherwise have had access to medical advice, nor be financially capable of paying a fine. All NHS patients should have the right to seek any medical advice at the point they feel they need it, for free.
At times, It may also be difficult to know when to draw the line of what is appropriate/inappropriate until a thorough examination has taken place to eliminate the chance of a serious diagnosis. So there is a question of putting patient safety at risk by seeming appointments as inappropriate (again, non-maleficence). Such appointments could just put patients at ease, which would support beneficence, as this would be in their best interests.
As for the second question, both are equally important, as if clinicians are at risk of mental health complications, this would in turn have a detrimental impact on the level of patient care and safety (these same concerns were expressed during 2015 Junior Doctor contract). Thus, the NHS should ensure that staffing levels, working conditions and support for staff are not compromised due to the focus on patient care, especially during such a difficult time for us all.
Fantastic job on the poster. Covered a lot of difficulty dilemmas but giving realistic, balanced answers to these.
Presented useful data to support your arguments and I enjoy the bold use of colour.
How do you think charging an individual for inappropriately attending A&E or GP with a small fine would relate to the four pillars of medical ethics?
As aspiring clinicians, what do you think is more important; our own mental well-being during Covid pandemic or patient care?
Dr Wong, thank you so much for your feedback
I think that they are both very interesting questions and ones which should be addressed through government legislation.
In terms of fines for missed appointments, there is the argument that it would support the principle of non-maleficence. More public awareness is needed about the harm that such ‘wasted’ appointments could do for more critical patients, due to the problem of limited capacity and increased demand.
However, this conflicts with the principle of justice, as some patients may not otherwise have had access to medical advice, nor be financially capable of paying a fine. All NHS patients should have the right to seek any medical advice at the point they feel they need it, for free.
At times, It may also be difficult to know when to draw the line of what is appropriate/inappropriate until a thorough examination has taken place to eliminate the chance of a serious diagnosis. So there is a question of putting patient safety at risk by seeming appointments as inappropriate (again, non-maleficence). Such appointments could just put patients at ease, which would support beneficence, as this would be in their best interests.
As for the second question, both are equally important, as if clinicians are at risk of mental health complications, this would in turn have a detrimental impact on the level of patient care and safety (these same concerns were expressed during 2015 Junior Doctor contract). Thus, the NHS should ensure that staffing levels, working conditions and support for staff are not compromised due to the focus on patient care, especially during such a difficult time for us all.