How to look after your data
Doctors are under increasing scrutiny when it comes to reporting serious incidents and data-sharing in private practice. Jane Braithwaite presents a timely analysis and gives some useful tips.
A recent BBC Panorama TV documentary entitled ‘How safe is your operation?’ uncovered serious concerns about the sharing of data and incident reporting in the private sector.
With cases such as that of Ian Paterson – the surgeon who wounded patients and carried out unnecessary surgical procedures – making headline news, patients may be rightly concerned that the safety policies and procedures used in private healthcare are not up to scratch.
So, what can private practices do to ensure their services are safe and patient safety is taken seriously, and what tools are available to support doctors in data-sharing?