Sessional GP - Issue 5

Welcome

The world is not static – new medical developments emerge every day. Change provides GPs with the impetus to stretch their knowledge and stay up-to-date, which in turn adds credibility and drives up standards of care. This is a learning and development special edition of Sessional GP honing in on how sessional GPs can improve their continued education.

We kick the issue off with Dr Paul Nisselle’s eye-opening feature “Missed melanoma”. In the UK about 60% of all claims lodged against GPs involve an allegation of delayed or missed diagnosis. Some of these claims fail because while in hindsight it may be obvious that the doctor missed a diagnosis or made an incorrect one, being wrong is not the same as being negligent.

Dr Nisselle, who has dedicated his life to improving patient safety, uses his feature to highlight what GPs can learn from missed diagnosis and their subsequent adverse outcomes.

MPS’s Dr Zaid Al-Najjar also encourages GPs to learn from other’s mistakes in his Hot Topic, where he encourages GPs to think before you print.

Isolation is widely regarded as a problem for sessional GPs. Dr Arthur Hibble, Dr Kamilla Porter and Dr Clare Taylor all draw on different learning initiatives that bring sessional GPs together, such as peer support groups and the RCGP’s First5 initiative.

I hope you enjoy this special edition of Sessional GP. We welcome any feedback you have or suggestions for themes for future issues.

Dr Richard Stacey – Editor-in-chief
MPS Medicolegal Adviser