Patients overtly coerced into undergoing treatment they do not want can rightly claim that their “consent” was not given freely and is therefore not valid. Cases of overt coercion are rare, but there are circumstances in which patients may feel that they have been covertly pushed into accepting treatment they would prefer not to have had. For example, in some circumstances patients may find it very difficult to say “No” to the proposed treatment, or to challenge the doctor’s assumption that they would have no objections to going ahead.

Dr Hajra Siraj, GP registrar in London, shares a tricky case around assessing the competence of young people.

MPS has seen a steady rise in the number of claims involving practice nurses, with ‘delay in diagnosis’ being the most common type of claim. Kate Taylor, Clinical Risk Manager, MPS Educational Services, reveals more

Nasogastric tubes are widely used in the world’s hospitals, yet in spite of fierce campaigning to expose the dangers, patients are still dying from the complications of wrongful insertion.

Dr Peter Mackenzie, Head of Membership Governance at MPS, looks at the reasons why claims in a range of surgical specialties are settled

All doctors know that maintaining confidentiality is an important part of building up trust with patients. Here, Dr Stephanie Bown examines the medicolegal aspects of confidentiality

Good Medical Practice advises doctors that they must be honest and trustworthy when signing forms, reports and other documents. It also requires doctors to make sure that any documents they write or sign are not false or misleading

Around 7% of allegations heard at fitness-to-practise hearings in 2011 were with regards to relationships with patients. As a doctor’s profession is defined by the duty of care to patients, it follows that standards of professionalism are entwined with the strength of the relationship between doctor and patient.

The GMC has revised its Confidentiality guidance for all doctors practising in the UK

The GMC has revised its Confidentiality guidance and this will come into force on 25 April 2017. Medicolegal Adviser Dr Rachel Birch explains what doctors need to know about the changes

One of the greatest challenges a doctor will face during their career is in ensuring they respond well when things go wrong. Even the most experienced doctors make mistakes but it can be particularly difficult to deal with when you are one of the more junior members of the team.

A common dilemma on the advice line is requests for medical records by the police or social services. Senior Medicolegal Adviser Dr Pallavi Bradshaw shares her advice