You are here:

• Home
• Publications
• GMCtoday archive
• Your letters
• Misleading photo

All the latest news and views from GMC

News: Misleading photo

27 July 2009

The importance of images reflecting and reinforcing best practice led to two letters.

I read with interest Dr Anna Cumisky's article on ‘Assessing the assessments’ in the May/June GMCtoday. The photo of what appears to be an OSCE station on phlebotomy caught my attention. There appears to be direct clinical contact with the practitioner’s elbows covered by his jacket and phlebotomy without the use of protective gloves. In the current climate focusing on healthcare associated infections, I feel it is important to highlight this to the readers so that an incorrect implicit interpretation of the photo and the practice illustrated is not interpreted as best practice.
Dr Phil Laws

Your current edition of GMCtoday (May/June) has an article on pages 10-11 on GMC fitness to practise assessments. The accompanying photo shows an individual being observed at a Venesection OSCE station. I trust he was marked down for not following NHS guidance on attire, namely the bare below- the-elbows policy, and not wearing examination gloves during the procedure.
John C MacKinnon

Thank you for your helpful letters. The image we used to illustrate the article was from a library of photographs we have and was not a doctor undertaking an assessment. It was intended to be purely representative. However, your comments have highlighted the importance of ensuring that any images we use in GMCtoday both reflect and reinforce best practice.