International Briefs

Medical Council of New Zealand Chief Executive Philip Pigou was recently installed as chair of the International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities (IAMRA) for a two-year term.Addressing delegates at IAMRA's biennial conference, held in Ottowa, Canada, October 2–5, Pigou said international medical regulators must do three things in order to better ensure patient safety worldwide:“All of these directions require good relationships within IAMRA — and with other relevant groups,” he said. “There have been and continue to be policy issues that many of us face in our day-to-day practice. This includes how we ensure doctors are competent to practice. Whether we call it recertification, revalidation or maintenance of licensure — ensuring the competence of doctors is one major policy issue we face.”“Even recognizing that different countries come with different histories, have developed different models of regulation — and different terminology — the sharing of knowledge and ideas helps promote excellence for not just doctors, but all health professionals,” he said.During the conference, titled “Medical Regulation in the Real World: Bringing Evidence to Bear,” delegates continued their work on IAMRA's recent long-term initiative to create a set of global best practices to help guide medical regulators.Pigou has served as chief executive officer of the Medical Council of New Zealand since November 2005. He has also worked in senior positions in New Zealand's legal sector as well as its health sector. He has a bachelor of law degree and a postgraduate diploma in business, focusing on general management and leadership.IAMRA is a membership organization representing regulators all over the world. It was formed in 2000. For more information, please visit www.iamra.com.Source: IAMRA news release, October 11, 2012The United Kingdom General Medical Council's (GMC) latest annual report, released in October, shows a 23 percent rise in the number of complaints it received against doctors in 2011. The increase, from 7,153 in 2010 to 8,781 in 2011, is part of a trend that began in 2007.In the report, titled “The State of Medical Education and Practice In The UK: 2012,” the GMC also notes that the likelihood a complaint will be investigated has risen from one in 68 in 2010 to one in 64 in 2011. GMC officials said the report shows a rise in complaints about interaction with patients, with communication issues increasing by 69 percent and a “perceived lack of respect” rising by 45 percent. Over the year, the GMC took action in over 500 cases, permanently removing 65 physicians from medical practice, while 93 were suspended.The report uses GMC data and information from other sources to provide a general snapshot of the medical profession in the UK and “to identify some of the barriers and enablers to good medical practice.” According to the GMC, this year's report shows that the composition of the UK's medical profession continues to change, “as do the demands placed upon it.”Of 245,903 physicians on the GMC's register, 57 percent are male (141,369) and 43 percent are female (104,534). Fifty seven percent of physicians in the UK are between the ages of 25 and 44, while 33 percent are between the ages of 45 and 64.The number of physicians on the UK's register of physicians continues to grow, and for the first time, the number of female physicians passed the 100,000 mark.The GMC also said the UK faces many of the same workforce issues being discussed in the United States: “There is a continuing debate about the distribution of doctors across specialties, particularly whether we have an appropriate balance between specialists and generalists, and if we have enough doctors in the right specialties to care for an aging population,” the report summarizes.According to the GMC, the report shows that “changing lifestyles and expectations of doctors mean that the need for flexible working and training is becoming increasingly important.”In noting the rise of complaints against physicians, the GMC said it received proportionally more complaints about men, older physicians and general practitioners — a trend that was similar in 2010.The 2012 report shows that on average, smaller hospitals tended to receive higher numbers of complaints about physicians than larger hospitals. According to the GMC, the report also suggests that patient outcomes are worse on evenings and weekends — times when less experienced physicians are working.“In some specialties, recruitment difficulties are affecting both service provision and training, particularly ensuring that doctors in training have access to adequate supervision and protected time for education,” the GMC said.Source: The State of Medical Education and Practice in the UK: 2012, GMC website, October 2012The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) — the organization representing the UK's family physicians — has compiled what it calls “Highway Code” guidelines to help physicians use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter appropriately.The RCGP says its Social Media Highway Code offers family physicians positive, practical tips and advice on how to get the most out of online communications.Over the past decade, according to the RCGP, there has been a substantial increase in the proportion of the UK population using the internet, from 59 percent in 2005 to 79 percent in 2011. Social media use has grown from 22 percent of internet users in 2007 to 59 percent in 2011. Among the young, the RCGP reports that social media use is now almost “ubiquitous,” with a 2012 UK survey finding 95 percent of 16–20 year-olds and 74 percent of 20–25 year-olds had used Facebook in the previous month.While the number of physician users of social media is not as high, it is growing. A recent survey by the UK's Medical Protection Society (MPS) found 36 percent of respondents using Facebook and 21 percent using Twitter on a daily basis. “Among younger doctors, the use of social media is now the norm,” said the RCGP in announcing its social media guidelines.The RCGP's Highway Code offers 10 basic guidelines as the foundation for good social media practices:In releasing its guidelines, the RCGP noted that they represent a first version intended for further discussion and review; revisions and updates are possible. “Above all, the Social Media Highway Code is intended as a guide to help doctors with their decision-making and not as a book of prescriptive rules,” the RCGP wrote in an introduction to the guidelines. “Our main aim is to encourage doctors to think, communicate and share experiences freely and openly, whilst remaining aware of their professional responsibilities and the influence their online presence may have on others.”The Federation of State Medical Boards released similar guidelines for U.S. physicians in April of this year. They are available at www.fsmb.org/pdf/pub-social-media-guidelines.pdf.The RCGP guidelines are available at www.rcgp.org.uk/policy/rcgp-policy-areas/social-media-highway-code.aspx.Source: Royal College of General Practitioners website, October 2012

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