Medical Council of New South Wales

A family member rings and asks if Mum has been to the doctor today? Saying yes, could be a breach of confidentiality. So when can privacy be breached, and what do you do if a son or daughter rings and asks for their parents cancer results? Imagine a situation where a...

When performing a physical examination, relying on implied consent can be risky. Especially with new patients you may not know well. So what do you say to help reduce the risk of a complaint? Performing intimate physical examinations presents a challenge for doctors...

I have a theory, entirely untroubled by scientific testing, that the quality of Doctor-Patient communication is best assessed in the surgery car park. As doctors, getting our message across is a complex thing. Like Russia, It is a “riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside...

By Dr Martine Walker Pregnancy and the first year after giving birth are the riskiest time in a woman’s life for anxiety and depression. One in 10 women experience depression and anxiety while they are pregnant and 1 in 7 women during the first postnatal year. A recent...