Consultant physicians should be appraised annually

Learning to be a consultant: what should be taught.

consultant: " a hospital doctor of the highest rank who is an expert in a particular area of medicine " 1 As noted in earlier articles and editorials in this series on education and training in pathology and laboratory Medicine, 2-6 we look more and more for evidence as to what should be taught, how it should be taught, and when it should be taught. Education and training are entering a new era...

Should physicians be gatekeepers of medical resources?

Physicians have an ethical responsibility to their patients to offer the best available medical care. This responsibility conflicts with their role as gatekeepers of the limited health care resources available for all patients collectively. It is ethically untenable to expect doctors to face this trade-off during each patient encounter; the physician cannot be expected to compromise the wellbei...

Physicians should be cautious when prescribing diclofenac.

Consultant physicians in the U.K.

On 30 September each year the Medical Workforce Unit of the Royal College of Physicians of London (RCP) undertakes a census of consultant physicians on behalf of the Federation of Medical Royal Colleges of the UK. The 16th census collated responses (online or hard copy) and confirmed or supplemented data from other sources including specialist societies and Human Resources departments within tr...

Consultant physicians working for patients.

and the changing roles of professionals within it. The Royal College of Physicians must contribute to this debate, restating fundamentals but updating its views on how to maintain high standards of medical care for patients and on the conditions that are necessary for physicians, especially consultants, necessary to deliver that care. In this present state of change, physicians need a clear vie...