nhs hot topics qs Flashcards
What reasons and consequences does the increased demand on GP services have on the NHS?
What is the debate surrounding euthanasia, should it be legalised?
Do you agree with euthanasia?
How does euthanasia encroach on a patient’s autonomy and consent?
Does euthanasia have a place in modern Medicine?
-euthanasia is the deliberate ending of someone’s life
-usually to end suffering experienced as a result of a terminal illness
-BUT could be due to other reasons
euthanasia can be categorised further
-voluntary
-involuntary
-passive: doctor causes death by withholding or withdrawing treatment
-active: doctor deliberately intervenes to end life
-CURRENTLY ILLEGAL in the UK
-HOWEVER, may patients travel to other countries such as Switzerland (Dignitas)
patients autonomy + respect and dignity to patients
BUT doctors have to do no harm… is this doing harm (does no harm to others) ? also patients can’t demand treatments
inc public support, democracy, laws should change, BMA takes neutral stance
BUT arguably govt and medical professionals are in a better position to decide
worries about sufficient safeguards + sending out the wrong message and discourages palliative care improvements
BUT, legal in US state Oregan, death with dignity act, and they have not seen inc in deaths or poor end of life care
very relevant debate due to assisted dying bill
moral grey area
if not legalised we need to get to the root of the problem and educate
if legalised we need to ensure all necessary safeguards put in place
Do You Agree With Abortion?
What Are The Ethical Issues Here?
Medical process of ending a human pregnancy so it doesn’t culminate in the birth of a baby
Can be through medication or surgical procedure
before 24 weeks
2 doctors agree
LEGAL
-differing beliefs ab when foetus considered to be alive
autonomy
-patient right to chose, safe + comfortable abortion
SAFE only because its legalised, if its made illegal it tends to continue but dangerously
-COUNTER: foetus can’t chose for itself, doesn’t have autonomy
non-maleficence:
-weigh up pros and cons of abortion
-often in favour of doing abortion as going through with unwanted pregnancy, especially if due to scenarios such as rape, may be traumatic, sometimes necessary to keep women alive
-sometimes not in favour of abortion, as it will may cause emotional distress to woman
-‘killing baby’ so there is harm
beneficence
-baby potentially could have been genius and contributed majorly to society
justice:
-does foetus need to be treated with same value as pregnant patient
as you can see when making ethical considerations around abortion, some of these arguments can go in circles due to differing core beliefs about when life starts and people’s value/priorities
hard to come to a judgement on such a nuanced topic, differs from case to case basis
I think access to abortion is important tho as illegalising it will only lead to unsafe abortions being carried out and poses major issues regarding childhood pregnancies and other nuanced topics
Why is there a shortage of organs for donation?
What is consent, and how does it relate to the issue of organ donation?
How does the UK currently handle organ donation?
Why did England/Scotland/Wales recently change from an opt-in system to an opt-out system?
Organ donations are limited. How do you think we should decide who is eligible to receive an organ?
How do you think Junior Doctors cope with stress in the workplace?
-know that stress is part of every work place
-esp for junior doctors as they often have packed schedules and long hours
-can sometimes be a tough transition from medical school to junior doctor role
-thru talking to doctors and medical students
-importance of maintaining work life balance
-appreciate no two days are the same, factor I like about the field, also requires adaptability in terms of schedule
-it’s important to set out time to do things to unwind and refocus
-helps you give quality care during shifts
-timetabling, scheduling in breaks + time to do hobbies and tasks seperate from work
-maintaining some sort of routine, w exercise as this helps me reset my mind on a daily
-scheduling in time for my hobbies such as dancing and baking also really help
-whilst at work it’s important to regular check in with myself to see how I’m feeling
-seek help from senior if feeling overwhelmed, have more experience and can give advice
-intense stress could cause you to make mistakes in patient care
-similarly, reaching out to my my close friends and family
-know you more personally so may be able to give more personal advice
-challenges such as stress provide you an opportunity to grow
-every stressful situation I manage to work through and resolve makes me a stronger and more resilient person and also doctor
What are the potential issues regarding a patient adding you as a doctor on facebook?
-issues with professionalism
-blurring boundaries between personal and professional life
-bias?
-potential frienship
-may not be coherent with expectations of a doctor
-undermines trust is healthcare field and doctors
-may be okay if professionalism maintained and posts in line with expectations of doctors
-but a lot of risk that is better avoided
-guidelines against it/ strictly regulating it
What are the ethical considerations surrounding the privatisation of the NHS?
Does AI pose a threat to privacy and confidentiality, informed consent and/or patient autonomy?
Why is it important to combat excessively long A&E waiting times?
-patients shouldn’t have to wait long time to receive necessary treatment
-discomfort, pain
-condition could complicate over time
-data backs up, longer wait times worsen health outcomes
-long wait times deter patients from coming to A&E
-allows issues to worsen
-ambulance crew cannot offload patient if A&E is full
-creates ambulance queue, cannot respond to calls
-also if patients alrdy deterred from A&E, worsen condition, more demand on ambulance
-A&E staff stressed, rushed, poorer care delivered
-staff burnout, more vacancies
-current issue
-not able to meet 4 hr target in which patients are admitted/transferred/discharged from A&E
-poorer clinical outcomes
due to
-rising attendances in A&E
-rising emergency admissions to hospitals
-fewer hospital beds available
-inc staffing pressure
could be reduced thru
-111 service
-educating people on what is/isn’t suitable to attend A&E
-get patients admitted quicker, inc number of beds
-get patients seen quicker, inc staff and resources
What changes would you make to the NHS if you could?***
Staffing levels
-not new issue, brought into limelight by covid
-inc number of healthcare professional being produced (being done thru inc uni spaces)
-BUT also inc retention, inc standard of working condition
Waiting lists
-currently too long, patient put off even seeing doctor
-again covid pandemic worsened bad situation
-inc staff, inc retention should help
-focus on plans to make care systems and integrated and hollistic care approach
-primary care networks
-focus on preventative medicine
-uk has a increasing aging population issues
-comorbidities
-asw reducing pressure on staff later on in life
What are the NHS values and why are they important?
6 values that all NHS staff are expected to demonstrate
They provide a good basis of qualities to embody in order to ensure patients get the best possible care needed and that there is a safe working environment
Working together for patients
-all staff work together to provide reliable and compassionate health service for patients
-patients come first
Respect and dignity
-all those who come into contact with the NHS will be treated with the utmost respect and dignity
-involves respecting opinions, needs and privacy
-promotes equality and diversity in work place
-autonomy req patients wishes to be respected (avoid medical paternalism)
Commitment to quality of care
-care provided by NHS should be highest quality
-if it isn’t, should be looked into and resolved
-doctors must keep their knowledge up to date, need to be re validated
Compassion
-need to be kind and empathetic to patients
-empathy involves putting yourself in someone else’s shoes
Improving lives
-not only improve health, but their whole lives
-holistic treatments that take multiple aspects into account
-preventative treatments
Everyone counts
-everyone matters
-do not discriminate
-distributive justice
-knowing these skills are important in a medical career I’ve tried to ensure I’m working on them as well
-working tg for others - Mencap, all volunteers work together for members
-respect and dignity - always , Mencap providing choice of activities
-compassion thru hospital volunteering, providing ear to listen to stroke patient
-improving whole lives thru volunteering at Mencap, developing people as a whole not just providing entertainment
-commitment to quality of care, dance, always trying to be the best version of myself
How do you deal with overpopulation?
What are the main challenges that face the NHS?
How has COVID changed the way the NHS operates?
What do you think are going to be the long-term consequences of COVID on the NHS?
