On The Wards: On The Pods Medical Podcast for Doctors

This is Part 3 of a series of 5 podcasts on diagnostic error.  Part 3 focuses on ways for avoiding or preventing diagnostic error.

Listen to the other parts here:

Diagnostic Error (Part 1) - An overview

Diagnostic Error (Part 2) - Decision-making and bias

Diagnostic Error (Part 4) - Responding to Diagnostic Error

Diagnostic Error (Part 5) - Learning and teaching about Diagnostic Error

Summary Writer:  Rose McCarthy

Script Writer:  Mark Graber, Owen Bradfield, James Edwards

Editor:  Amanda Walker

Interviewee:  Mark Graber, Owen Bradfield, James Edwards

About Dr Mark Graber

Dr Mark Graber is a Senior Fellow at RTI International and Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He has an extensive background in biomedical and health services research, with over 70 peer-reviewed publications. Mark is a national leader in the field of patient safety and originated Patient Safety Awareness Week in 2002, an event now recognised internationally. Mark has also been a pioneer in efforts to address diagnostic errors in medicine, and his research in this area has been supported by the National Patient Safety Foundation and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In 2008, he convened and chaired the first Diagnostic Error in Medicine conference. In 2011, Mark founded the new Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine and serves as President of SIDM.

About Dr Owen Bradfield

Dr Owen Bradfield is a Senior Claims Manager, Medical Advisor and Medico-Legal Advisor at Avant. Owen graduated with First Class Honours in 2003 from Monash University’s unique combined Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Laws program. He was awarded the Ebsworth & Ebsworth Prize for Medical Law and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine Prize. Owen is a qualified medical practitioner and lawyer. He completed his internship at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne and later completed his articles of clerkship at Slater & Gordon Lawyers. He also has experience in health services management and completed an MBA at Monash University, where he was awarded the prize for the top graduating student. In addition to his work at Avant, Owen also works as a part-time General Practitioner, is Deputy Chair of the Patient Review Panel and Chair of the Law Institute of Victoria’s Health Law Committee.

This is Part 2 of a series of 5 podcasts on diagnostic error.  This podcast interview covers decision-making and bias.

Listen to the other parts here:

Diagnostic Error (Part 1) - An overview

Diagnostic Error (Part 3) - Preventing Diagnostic Error

Diagnostic Error (Part 4) - Responding to Diagnostic Error

Diagnostic Error (Part 5) - Learning and teaching about Diagnostic Error

Summary Writer:  Rose McCarthy

Script Writer:  Mark Graber, Owen Bradfield, James Edwards

Editor:  Bruce Way, Amanda Walker

Interviewee:  Mark Graber, Owen Bradfield, James Edwards

About Dr Mark Graber

Dr Mark Graber is a Senior Fellow at RTI International and Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He has an extensive background in biomedical and health services research, with over 70 peer-reviewed publications. Mark is a national leader in the field of patient safety and originated Patient Safety Awareness Week in 2002, an event now recognised internationally. Mark has also been a pioneer in efforts to address diagnostic errors in medicine, and his research in this area has been supported by the National Patient Safety Foundation and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In 2008, he convened and chaired the first Diagnostic Error in Medicine conference. In 2011, Mark founded the new Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine and serves as President of SIDM.

About Dr Owen Bradfield

Dr Owen Bradfield is a Senior Claims Manager, Medical Advisor and Medico-Legal Advisor at Avant. Owen graduated with First Class Honours in 2003 from Monash University’s unique combined Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Laws program. He was awarded the Ebsworth & Ebsworth Prize for Medical Law and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine Prize. Owen is a qualified medical practitioner and lawyer. He completed his internship at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne and later completed his articles of clerkship at Slater & Gordon Lawyers. He also has experience in health services management and completed an MBA at Monash University, where he was awarded the prize for the top graduating student. In addition to his work at Avant, Owen also works as a part-time General Practitioner, is Deputy Chair of the Patient Review Panel and Chair of the Law Institute of Victoria’s Health Law Committee.

James talks to Mark Graber and Owen Bradfield about a diagnostic error overview. This is part 1 of a series of 5 podcast interviews on diagnostic error.

Listen to the other parts here:

Diagnostic Error (Part 2) - Decision-making and bias

Diagnostic Error (Part 3) - Preventing Diagnostic Error

Diagnostic Error (Part 4) - Responding to Diagnostic Error

Diagnostic Error (Part 5) - Learning and teaching about Diagnostic Error

Summary Writer:  Elizabeth Campbell

Script Writer:  Mark Graber, Owen Bradfield, James Edwards

Editor:  Bruce Way, Amanda Walker

Interviewee:  Mark Graber, Owen Bradfield, James Edwards

About Dr Mark Graber

Dr Mark Graber is a Senior Fellow at RTI International and Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He has an extensive background in biomedical and health services research, with over 70 peer-reviewed publications. Mark is a national leader in the field of patient safety and originated Patient Safety Awareness Week in 2002, an event now recognised internationally.

Mark has also been a pioneer in efforts to address diagnostic errors in medicine, and his research in this area has been supported by the National Patient Safety Foundation and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In 2008, he convened and chaired the first Diagnostic Error in Medicine conference. In 2011, Mark founded the new Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine and serves as President of SIDM.

About Dr Owen Bradfield

Dr Owen Bradfield is a Senior Claims Manager, Medical Advisor and Medico-Legal Advisor at Avant. Owen graduated with First Class Honours in 2003 from Monash University’s unique combined Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Laws program. He was awarded the Ebsworth & Ebsworth Prize for Medical Law and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine Prize.

Owen is a qualified medical practitioner and lawyer. He completed his internship at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne and later completed his articles of clerkship at Slater & Gordon Lawyers. He also has experience in health services management and completed an MBA at Monash University, where he was awarded the prize for the top graduating student. In addition to his work at Avant, Owen also works as a part-time General Practitioner, is Deputy Chair of the Patient Review Panel and Chair of the Law Institute of Victoria’s Health Law Committee.

James talks to Dr Nudrat Rashid about how the process of organ donation works and discusses case-based scenarios in the ED and ICU.

Summary Writer:  Alexandra Bolger

Script Writer:  Nudrat Rashid

Editor:  Bruce Way

Interviewee:  Nudrat Rashid

About Dr Nudrat Rashid

Nudrat qualified at Ahmadu Bello Hospital, Nigeria and undertook ICU training at Royal North Shore Hospital and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney with the College of Intensive Care Medicine. She also attained her MSC in Internal Medicine with honours from the University of Edinburgh, UK. Dr Rashid is currently an Intensive Care Specialist with the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Intensive Care Services and is also the Director of the Organ Donation and Transplantation Unit at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. She has a keen interest in Organ Donation, Education and Echocardiography and blogs for "Life in the Fast Lane".

James talks to Dr Penny Browne about preventing and resolving training disputes in the healthcare setting.

Interviewee:  Penny Browne

About Dr Penny Browne

Penny Browne is the Senior Medical Officer at Avant, advising the Senior Management Team on all clinical matters, and leading the team that advocates for Avant members to drive change in the medico-legal environment. Penny has worked extensively in General Practice education and is currently a Senior Staff Specialist in General Practice at Hornsby Hospital.

In this special live podcast from Australian Medical Student Association Convention 2017, Dr James Edwards interviews Dr Ruth Mitchell and Dr Bethan Richards about mentoring, including how to find a mentor and the expectations of the mentee.

Interviewees:  Bethan Richards, Ruth Mitchell, James Edwards

About Dr Ruth Mitchell

Dr Mitchell is on the Neurosurgery training pathway, and is currently completing her PhD investigating brain tumour biology at the University of Melbourne. Dr Mitchell is currently chair of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Trainees’ Association, and was awarded 2016 Doctor-in-Training of the Year by the AMA due to her tireless pursuit of doctors’ wellbeing and high-quality care, through advocacy, education and research.

About Dr Bethan Richards

Dr Richards is currently the Head of Rheumatology at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, having previously been the RPA Basic Physician Training (BPT) Network Director of Physician Training for the last 6 years. Dr Richards has a wealth of experience in designing and implementing successful mentoring and teaching programs, and in 2016 was awarded the Australian Medical Association’s award for Teacher of the Year for her tireless work in providing advocacy and mentorship to doctors in training. She is also a developer of the RPA BPTOK pilot program at RPA which has been designed to empower BPTs with skills and knowledge to not only make them better physicians, but also to help them maintain their health and wellbeing during training and beyond.

Otalgia is a common symptom seen in general practice, emergency departments and otolaryngology clinics. Joel Hardman explores how to assess and manage presentations of a sore ear, mainly acute otitis media and otitis externa.

Summary Writer:  Rose McCarthy

Script Writer:  Joel Hardman

Editor:  Joel Hardman

Interviewee:  Joel Hardman

About Dr Joel Hardman

Dr Joel Hardman graduated medicine from the University of Sydney in 2010. He completed his internship and residency at Westmead Hospital, NSW. Joel has completed two years as a Senior Resident Medical Officer/Unaccredited General Surgery and two years in Ear Nose and Throat Surgery. Joel completed his Masters in microRNAs in papillary thyroid cancer at the University of Sydney in 2016 and is currently the Ear Nose and Throat Senior Resident Medical Officer at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

A career in surgery can be both exceptionally rewarding and challenging.

Dr David Coker talks to Dr Titus Kwok about his experience as a surgeon and some tips when considering a career in surgery.

Summary Writer:  Linda Wu

Editors:  Titus Kwok, Bruce Way

Interviewee:  Titus Kwok

About Dr Titus Kwok

Titus Kwok is the surgical superintendent at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital*. He graduated from the University of New South Wales in 2007 and completed his internship and residency at Liverpool Hospital. Titus joined the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Network in 2010 as a PreSET SRMO and then moved into SET training the following year, completing his training in 2015.  Titus loves interacting and teaching junior colleagues that are interested in surgery as a career and enjoys the strong culture of mentorship that exists in Surgery.

*This podcast was originally recorded in August 2017. Dr Titus Kwok is now a Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Fellow at Prince of Wales Hospital, New South Wales.

James interviews Dr Alan Giles about cross-cultural communication, both with patients and colleagues, and the importance of effective communication in the healthcare setting.

Summary Writer: Cynthia Yang

Script Writer:  Alan Giles

Editor:  Alan Giles

Interviewee:  Alan Giles

About Dr Alan Giles

Alan Giles is an Emergency Physician and medical educator based in Sydney. After completing his Fellowship in 1994, he has worked in both large and small Emergency Departments in the public and private sector. His educational interests include simulation, bedside ultrasound and FOAM education.

Alan is the host of the podcast EMcast and is the Hospital Skills Director for Sydney Local Health District and South Western Sydney Local Health District. Clinically he works at the Sydney Adventist Hospital in Wahroonga, Sydney, where he also teaches bedside ultrasound. He has volunteered regularly in South East Asia over the last 10 years and is looking for an excuse to do it again. Not as fit as he deludes himself he once was, Alan is married with two adult children and two annoying cats.

James talks to Dr Amy Freeman-Sanderson about the assessment of safety to eat in a person who is dysphagic or dysphasic.

Summary Writer:  Jeffrey Duncan

Script Writer:  John Farey

Editor:  Amy Freeman-Sanderson

Interviewee:  Amy Freeman-Sanderson

About Dr Amy Freeman-Sanderson

Dr Amy Freeman-Sanderson is the Acting Head of the Speech Pathology Department at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. She holds an honorary position at the University of Sydney. She has worked within the critical care setting both nationally and internationally, for over 15 years.

Amy has a particular interest in patients with a tracheostomy and completed her PhD studies in this area at the University of Sydney in 2016. The focus of her thesis was early communication intervention for restoration of voice and associated quality of life.