All licensed doctors are required to revalidate from June 2012. The GMC states that patient feedback should form part of doctors provided evidence. A standardised GMC PSS has been shown to offer a reliable basis for the assessment of professionalism among UK doctors and has been suggested as a tool for revalidation. We aim to show its use in the secondary care setting to be simple and effective, offering further evidence for doctors undergoing revalidation. Having sought permission from the Trust the GMC PSS was used in the manner directed for 3 doctors in a Trauma and Orthopaedic fracture clinic. The data was analysed using an automated system and the results made available to individual clinicians in a simple to present format. 3 clinicians used the survey across 13 clinic sessions. The mean number of clinics it took to generate sufficient responses was 3.25 (range 2–5). We found the survey easy to use, HCAs handed forms to patients before consultation. Survey results were collected as patients left clinic and analysed by the Patient Services Department. The GMC PSS, although designed principally for use in Primary care appears to be a useful tool in secondary care.
Sledging related minor and major injuries represent a significant workload at ski-area medical centers across the world. Although safety rules exist, they are seldom obeyed or enforced. We set out to determine the incidence of sledging related injuries, identifying trends and causative factors at a busy New Zealand Ski resort. All sledging related injuries presenting during a 70-day period were prospectively reviewed. Patient demographics, mechanism, diagnosis, and treatment were recorded. Sixty patients were identified, mean age 10 years, range 4-30 years. Injuries comprised; collisions with sledgers (21), collision with wall (14) and falling from sledge (14). Site of injury included head (36), lower limb (18), spine (9), upper limb (7), and abdomen (2). Fractures included; femur (1), tibia (1), fibula (1), ankle (2), cuboid (1), clavicle (2), scaphoid (1). One 9-year-old patient sustained a serious intracranial haemorrhage, with subsequent permanent neurological sequelae. Sledging related injuries are mostly minor, however significant major injuries do occur requiring intervention at a secondary center. The potential for serious morbidity is evident. Recommendations supporting safety improvement measures does exist, however most were not implemented by the study cohort examined. The use of basic cycling helmets would seem an appropriate minimum level of protection, and greater sledging safety awareness should be encouraged.
