Wednesday, 29 July 2015

GPs so overworked they risk causing harm, says head of profession

GPs so overworked they risk causing harm, says head of profession Dr Maureen Baker, chair of Royal College of GPs, recommends measures to relieve strain on NHS family doctors, whom she compares to overtired pilots

Britain’s GPs are so tired and overloaded that they are at risk of harming patients’ health by misdiagnosing illness or giving them the wrong drugs, the head of the profession has warned.

In a stark description of the potential consequences to patients’ safety of “GP fatigue”, Dr Maureen Baker says that “persistent and excessive workload” faced by family doctors puts them at the same risk of inadvertently causing harm or even death as overtired pilots or lorry drivers.

We have no strategies in place to reduce the risk of patient harm that might arise from having tired, overworked doctors Continue reading... The Guardian

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