Doctors’ behaviour and performance

Adverse events have always occurred in healthcare but some high-profile cases over the last few years have led to greater public scrutiny than ever before. Such events may result from problems in clinical practice, products, procedures or systems; attention, however, has focused largely on healthcare workers, and especially on doctors – perhaps in tacit recognition of their leadership role within the field. The performance of doctors – their knowledge, skills, health and behaviour – is firmly in the public eye and therefore on the agenda of their professional organisations and the relevant regulatory bodies.