Case studies

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Work pressure concerns

2 July 2021

A distressed foundation doctor called the MDU helpline during an ongoing trust investigation where a patient was given an excessive dose of gentamicin.

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Correcting the record

2 July 2021

A foundation doctor got himself into trouble when he hurriedly corrected his notes with the name of the on-call registrar after a patient died on the GI ward.

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Emergency re-admission

2 July 2021

A worried FY2 doctor called the MDU advice line after a consultant asked him to write an incident report regarding a patient that was readmitted with haemothorax.

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Remote prescribing

2 July 2021

An endocrinologist contacted the MDU because he was worried about the implications of remote prescribing following a patient moving to another town for work.

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Delayed diagnosis of bowel cancer

2 July 2021

A GP called the MDU after receiving an angry letter of complaint from a patient, blaming her for delayed referral and ‘allowing’ her cancer to develop.

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Talking risks

2 July 2021

When a patient with Dupuytren’s contracture attended hospital for a fasciectomy, a nurse asked a foundation doctor to obtain their signature on the consent form because the patient had missed their appointment at the consent clinic, and the surgeon had been called to an emergency.

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A request from the magistrate's court

2 July 2021

A member enquiry on whether or not to disclose information relating to a patient’s mental health history whilst they were on remand in custody, awaiting trial.

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Inadequate records

2 July 2021

A hospital consultant contacted the MDU as a transition to a paperless medical record system meant she had to treat patients without sufficient information.

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Refusal to prescribe off-label

2 July 2021

A GP contacted the MDU after a patient with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) had requested a prescription for thyroxine, following the advice of another specialist.

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Notifiable or not? Reporting safety incidents

2 July 2021

A delay in acting upon blood test results resulted in a patient being rushed to A&E. The GP called the MDU for advice on what steps to take following the incident.