In this episode of GENEYE Pod, host Dr Jacqueline Beltz talks with Associate Professor Carmel Crock, OAM, Emergency Physician and Director of the Emergency Department at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital about diagnostic error and medical professionalism.

Medical Professionalism is a complex topic. At first glance it can seem straight forward but professionalism is difficult to define. Professionalism is important within medicine for our patients’, our own and our workplace experiences, but it is also important for clinical outcomes. We’re more likely to make mistakes if we behave unprofessionally. Professionalism in the medical setting is also associated with increased patient satisfaction, trust, and adherence to treatment plans; fewer patient complaints and reduced risk of litigation. Professionalism has also been associated with physician excellence.

In this episode, Dr Beltz talks about why professionalism should be considered a buildable skill rather than a personality trait. She discusses some of the concepts linking unprofessional behaviours to diagnostic errors and suggests that this is not only bad for our patients but for us too. Dr Beltz and Associate Professor Crock take the discussion further, with particular focus on strategies to improve knowledge, skills and culture relating to diagnostic error. They discuss why management of diagnostic errors is so difficult and why professionalism is critical. They also discuss management strategies and ways to improve these skills, highlighting the importance of positive role modelling.

At GENEYE, we care about ourselves and each other, so we can care for our patients. We can’t even begin to truly think we will serve our patients adequately if we don’t care about ourselves. Associate Professor Crock and Dr Beltz conclude their discussion with conversation about medical culture and wellbeing – what they have seen improve and what they hope will come next.

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Acknowledgments

Jacqueline Beltz and GENEYE would like to thank The Mind Room, Collingwood for supporting our program and allowing us to record in their studio.

Thank you also to Professors Ian Incoll and Debra Nestel from University of Melbourne Masters of Surgical Education program for their ongoing support, teaching and encouragement.

GENEYE POD is written, and hosted by Jacqueline Beltz and produced with the help of Nick Green from CORP COMM.

We would like to acknowledge the people of the Kulin Nations who are the traditional custodians of the land on which this podcast was recorded. We would also like to pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and to any Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people who might listen to this podcast.

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Further resources:

GENEYE https://www.geneye.org.au

Society to improve diagnosis in medicine (SIDM) https://www.improvediagnosis.org

Australasian Diagnostic Error in Medicine Conference https://www.ashm.org.au/Conferences/conferences-we-organise/AusDEM-Conference/