The Medical Council and you: What you need to know

There are a lot of misunderstandings about the Medical Council and their role—especially for doctors-in-training. This quick reference sheet will clear up any lingering confusion.

How to prevent doctor burnout

Burnout might seem like part of the package for doctors’ work life balance as a in New Zealand. However, it’s dangerous not to learn how to deal with and prevent doctor burnout.

Zombie healthcare: The dangers of long shifts and sleep deprivation for doctors

You’d be hard-pressed to find a profession that has longer hours than healthcare—and extended shifts could be dangerously affecting the ability of doctors.

What a medical negligence complaint really costs doctors

It might seem like cases of medical negligence and medical malpractice are easy targets for viewer-hungry media networks. They’ve got it all: courtroom drama, big payouts, angry defendants — but the reality is quite different for the actual doctors involved. Even if they aren’t to blame, it can end up costing them a lot, and in more ways than one.

Medical indemnity insurance: what you need from it

Don’t just tick the first box you see. Get the right medical indemnity cover that has the following inclusions:

The Ghost of Malpractice Past: Why retrospective insurance matters

Where do you see yourself five years from now? Working in a hospital? A private medical centre? Maybe even opening your own practice. But no matter what you’re planning to do, we bet that it doesn’t include having to deal with a malpractice complaint from your time as a resident doctor.

The most common types of medical malpractice complaints doctors need to know

Everybody makes mistakes; even the most highly trained doctors. But by recognising the most common types of medical malpractice complaints, young doctors can learn how to provide better care for their patients and avoid the ire of the HDC or Medical Council at the same time.

The most common causes of medical errors and how to avoid them

Even the best doctors in the world are only human, and humans make mistakes. Fatigue, sickness, even just a distraction can all spell serious malpractice for any doctor, experienced or not, so it pays to get to know the common causes of medical errors.

Medical indemnity: Protecting patient confidentiality [Case Study]

Dr H was faced with a problem. He was working with a patient, M, over the course of several months, and seemed to be making good progress. One day, he was contacted by a government agency. It requested sensitive material about M’s health—so sensitive, in fact, that Dr H felt that to comply would breach patient confidentiality.

What to expect when you’re expecting… a patient complaint

Receiving an official complaint about your conduct or competence as a healthcare professional can be an alarming experience—but preparedness is half the battle. Here’s what you should expect if you are on the receiving end of a patient complaint, and how to deal with it quickly and professionally.