Dr Stephanie Bown speaks at ALARM Conference

The Association of Litigation and Risk Management conference (ALARM), held at the Royal Society of Medicine on Thursday 5 February, featured Dr Stephanie Bown as guest speaker. Dr Bown presented “Professional support, expert advice” – a discussion of the role of the Medical Protection Society in advising and supporting clinicians on legal and ethical issues arising from their professional practice.

During the presentation, Dr Bown discussed issues including multiple jeopardy, what motivates patients to sue and claim for medical negligence, and how communication skills can affect the risk of litigation. She also raised a discussion of "is the risk of being sued related to communication of adverse outcomes?" which was well-received by the audience.

Dr Stephanie Bown continued to provide an introduction to MPS Education and the valuable services it provides to members.

Her discussion ended with coverage of what is on the horizon for doctors – namely, performance assessments, revalidation, the introduction of responsible officers and the implementation of the current EU directive on cross border healthcare.