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Headlines and deadlines

Intern Orientation Seminar 2012

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital held its annual Intern Orientation on 13 January, with 29 house officers being congratulated and engaged in a half-day activity introducing several aspects of good medical practice.

The programme included topics such as “How to say sorry”, “Proper prescribing methods” and “Discharge planning”.

MPS, through its local consultant Dr Brian Charles, gave presentations on two topics, consent and confidentiality. The topics were introduced by a brief mention of the six key ‘C’s to good and safe medical practice:

  • Consent
  • Confidentiality
  • Communication
  • Case notes
  • Clinical competence
  • Careful prescribing.

During the presentation, there was much discussion, interspersed by periods of light-hearted humour and awarding of tokens from MPS to deserving doctors. Some time was spent with lively interaction when debate centred on Gillick competence, consent of children and minors, age of consent, disclosure and breach in confidentiality.

During the presentation, there was much discussion, interspersed by periods of light-hearted humour and awarding of tokens from MPS to deserving doctors

Statutory, legal and ethical reasons for disclosure with respect to breach of confidentiality were also heavily deliberated.

MPS would like to thank the QEH administration for this opportunity to seek to improve the quality of their service, and impact on some of its educational material to the upcoming interns.

Prominent ethics man knighted

Professor Errol Walrond, well-known across the Caribbean region, was recently made a Knight of St Andrew at a ceremony honouring the independence of his native Barbados.

Prof Walrond has written widely on medical ethics and has been published inCasebook on numerous occasions. His friends and associates at MPS would like to pass on their congratulations to Prof Walrond for receiving this great honour.

Drive to eliminate HIV 

Regional Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) attended a three-day meeting in St Lucia in mid-March, to discuss ways of preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission.

The main focus was on strengthening health systems and integrating services for HIV and STIs, while Dr Noreen Jack, senior adviser of the PAHO (Pan American Health Organisation) and WHO HIV Caribbean Office, said the region’s CMOs should “advocate for and discuss the path to the expansion of the initiative and the technical supports required”.

PANCAP (Pan-Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS), which was established in 2001 to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean, has pledged to eliminate mother-to-child transmission by 2015.

The region’s CMOs should “advocate for and discuss the path to the expansion of the initiative and the technical supports required"

Dates for the diary

A number of healthcare events are taking place across the region during the next few months:

Fitness to Dive
Bonaire
19-26 May 2012
More information

Endocrinology – Primary Care Update
Paradise Island, Bahamas
29 June-1 July 2012
More information 

13th Annual Summer Conference on Women’s Health 
Atlantis Resort, Bahamas
1-4 August 2012
More information 

Medical Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos 
1-8 August 2012 
More information