Communication and Ethics for International Medical Graduates in Australia

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Communication and Ethics for International
Medical Graduates in Australia
Teaching resources to accompany DVD The clinical
communication scenarios

• R Woodward-Kron, E Flynn, C Delany
• The University of Melbourne for Postgraduate
  Medical Council Victoria

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Contents
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Disclosing a clinical error
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Disclosing a clinical error (1)

• Watch the scenario Disclosing a clinical error
• For discussion
• What experience have you had in telling
  patients or family members about clinical errors?
  
• Who would you get help from in your hospital
  if you discovered there had been a clinical
  error?
• Who else might provide help and support to
  you?

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Disclosing a clinical error (2)

• Ethics discussion and analysis
• What is ethically important in this scenario?
• Do you think this is a serious error ?
• Does the type of error make a difference?
• How important is truthfulness in the doctor
  patientrelationship?

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Disclosing a clinical error (3)

• Communication and language
• Watch the scenario Disclosing a clinical error
• How did the doctor structure his disclosing of
  the clinical error to the patient/patient's
  family?
• What words did the doctor use to apologise? Do
  you think they were effective?
• What role do you think facial expressions and
  gesture play in sensitive interactions such as
  this one?

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Talking about alcohol with teenagers
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Talking about alcohol with teenagers (1a)

• Watch the scenario Talking about alcohol with
  teenagers
• Have you been in the situation where you
  needed to ask a teenager about his or her alcohol
  or drug use?
• Was the teenagers parent present when you were
  asking questions?
• Do you think that it is appropriate to ask the
  parent to leave in this situation?

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Talking about alcohol with teenagers (1b)

• This scenario was developed by drug and alcohol
  specialists to help doctors ask teenagers about
  their alcohol or drug usage
• For discussion
• How did the doctor reassure the patient?
• Why do you think the doctor starts by asking
  about the patients friends and then asks the
  patient about alcohol?
• Did you find the doctor's questions helpful?
• Could you use these questions, or ones like
  them, to ask teenagers about alcohol and drugs?
• Did you notice what attitude the doctor
  demonstrated to the patient about alcohol use by
  teenagers?
• Did this behaviour help the interview?

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Talking about alcohol with teenagers (2)

• Ethics discussion and analysis
• What are the ethical issues in this scenario?
• When should adolescents make decisions about
  their own health care?
• Do adolescents always have a right to
  confidentiality in the doctor patient
  relationship?

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Talking about alcohol with teenagers (3)

• Communication and language
• How did the doctor manage the three way
  interaction? Who did she speak to the most?
• Do you think taking a history from an
  adolescent presents particular communication
  challenges? If so, how might you address these?

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Dealing with a patient who makes racist remarks
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Dealing with a patient who makes racist remarks
(1)

• Watch the scenario Dealing with a patient who
  makes racist remarks
• For discussion
• Is this a common situation for overseas
  trained doctors?
• How do you think the doctor would be feeling
• Has this happened to you or another doctor you
  know?
• Do you think the doctor in the film clip deals
  with it well?
• How else could a doctor deal with this
  situation?
• Are there other less obvious remarks that
  patients or staff make that upset you?
• How can you deal with them?

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Dealing with a patient who makes racist remarks
(2)

• Ethics discussion and analysis
• Are there any important ethical issues in this
  scenario?
• Can patients refuse to see a doctor?
• Can patients refuse a doctors advice?
• Does a doctor have any authority to insist on
  treatment?
• How important are patient expectations in the
  doctor patient relationship?
• What is the role of trust in the doctor
  patient encounter?

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