No Australian doctor is fluent in only one language, regardless of their cultural heritage. “Medical English” has been said to have a vocabulary the same size as some European languages and the latest edition of that famous medical dictionary, Dorland’s, runs to 2,175 pages (i), compared to the Macquarie’s 1,940 (ii). Medical English is a …

It’s an interesting emotion that goes through us as we read the Medical Board’s regular bulletins of hearings into our colleagues’ conduct, or newspaper reports of medicolegal court cases. A curious mix of disdain that such things should happen, and relief that we are not involved. Most medical practitioners will be familiar with the general …

One of the aspects that attracts many of us to medical practice is the uniqueness of the doctor-patient relationship; just you and your patient working together in the privacy of your consulting room. In reality, however, the consulting room is pretty crowded. Although it might just be the two of you sitting in there, you …

I cursed a medical colleague last week when a notoriously anxious staff member burst into my office brandishing a sheaf of information sheets. Her surgeon had referred her to a haematologist to investigate an unexpectedly low platelet count. In the process, a low titre of antinuclear antibodies had also shown up. The haematologist had muttered …

One quarter of complaints by hospital patients cite problems with communication as a cause (source: Office of the Health Services Commissioner, Victoria, Annual Report 2006). A significant number of all complaint and litigation cases specifically cite ‘lack of informed consent / failure to warn’, and this figure is significantly higher as a contributory factor. If …