Case studies

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Upsetting comments on social media

2 July 2021

A GP wondered whether the practice should remove a patient from their list after disparaging remarks were left on social media.

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Criticism at a coroner’s inquest

2 July 2021

A GP, who had forgot to attach a patient’s medical history as part of an urgent referral, contacted the MDU for help following criticism during a coroner’s inquest.

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Remote consultations and delayed diagnosis

2 July 2021

A GP called the MDU for advice after receiving a patient complaint. They alleged that a lack of available face-to-face appointments led to a delay in diagnosis.

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Patient’s refusal to wear a face mask

2 July 2021

A GP sought advice on how to deal with an adult patient who refused to wear a face mask during the pandemic but needed treatment for an ingrown toenail.

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Assessing capacity for COVID vaccine

2 July 2021

A GP was contacted by a local care home as the daughter of one of their residents objected to their mother receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

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Social media slip

13 May 2021

A foundation doctor had just completed a difficult shift in which he'd treated a trans rights activist who had been attacked on the way home from college and left with cuts and bruises.

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Second thoughts

13 May 2021

As a rugby fan, an FY1 was delighted when a friend asked him to act as match day doctor at an amateur fixture the following Saturday. There was just one problem – he was supposed to be on call that weekend.

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Off the record

13 May 2021

It was a foundation doctor's turn to record the consultant’s morning ward-round. After listening to the chest of a patient with acute severe asthma, the consultant noted he could hear a wheeze on both sides and recommended nebulised salbutamol, oxygen and steroids, and a review in two hours.

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A painful experience

13 May 2021

An FY2 was sharing a house with several friends from university. One housemate had been taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatories for several weeks after sustaining a knee injury. She pleaded with the doctor to prescribe her something stronger to address the pain as she could not take time off work to attend a GP appointment.

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A near miss

6 May 2021

A stressed and anxious foundation doctor was increasingly resorting to several glasses of wine to help her unwind and get to sleep after shifts, although she’d noticed this was starting to affect her performance.