Download PDF: FL Communiqué April 2017
Guest Editorial
Editorial
Perspectives on training
Case: The common diagnosis
Comments from our peers
Communication is the key!
A quick guide to leg ulcers
This issue of the Future Leaders Communiqué describes the case of an elderly female patient who developed leg ulcers in the final stages of her life, on a background of multiple medical co-morbidities. This is a common diagnosis, something we see as junior doctors on a regular basis. It is easy in clinical practise to be over familiar with ‘run of the mill’ or ‘simple’ cases, and this is when things can be missed.
This case is a good opportunity to reflect on the important role we play as junior doctors in communicating with patients and their families. Often, the consultant will talk to the family of the patient suffering from a rare or rapidly progressive condition, and leave the conversations about simple or common diagnoses to the junior staff. These are circumstances where things can be overlooked, where our familiarity with the diagnosis might mean we don’t spend as much time with the patient and their family as we need to, or our documentation of the events isn’t as detailed.