Promoting patient centred care

A new section has been included in Good medical practice 2024 on promoting patient centred care and we've reflected this in Achieving good medical practice.

This includes updating the paragraph that focuses on the exchange of information between doctors and patients. It highlights the importance of listening to patients and encouraging an open dialogue about their health (paragraph 29).

There are new paragraphs that also highlight doctors' responsibility to support patients in caring for themselves, and your role in supporting this as a medical student.

• Doctors must support patients in caring for themselves and empower them to improve and maintain their health. As a medical student, you must:
• help patients to access information and support to manage their health successfully
• support them to make decisions that improve their health and wellbeing. (Paragraph 36)
• As a medical student, you must promptly speak to your supervisor if you have any concerns about a patient - or someone close to them - who may be at risk of abuse or neglect, or is being abused or neglected. See How to raise a patient safety concern for more information on how to raise a concern. (Paragraph 38)

New paragraphs have also been added to highlight how doctors and medical students must act to keep patients safe. The relevant paragraphs are:

• Doctors must consider the needs and welfare of people (adults, children and young people) who may be vulnerable, and offer them help if they think their rights are being abused or denied. More detailed guidance can be found on this: Protecting children and young people and 0-18 years: guidance for all doctors. (Paragraph 37)
• To help keep patients safe, doctors must:
• contribute to confidential inquiries
• contribute to adverse event recognition
• report adverse incidents involving medical devices (including software, diagnostic tests, and digital tools) that put the safety of a patient or another person at risk, or have the potential to do so
• contribute to incident reviews and/or investigations
• report suspected adverse drug reactions
• respond to requests from organisations monitoring public health.

This also applies to you as a medical student. (Paragraph 70).

• Doctors must act promptly if they think that patient safety or dignity is, or may be, seriously compromised. This includes acting if a patient is not receiving basic care to meet their needs, raising concerns if patients are at risk, or if they have concerns that a colleague may not be fit to practise. (Paragraph 71).