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Domain C: communication, partnership and teamwork
Attribute 9: establish and maintain partnerships with patients
Explanatory notes
It has been recognised that good professional relationships with patients is fundamental to the practice
of medicine. Establishing a partnership, which is built on trust, will allow an anaesthetist to influence
the patient’s approach and attitude to their treatment and care over time. Trust is gained through an
anaesthetist’s professionalism, which covers not only their knowledge and clinical skills but also their
ability to empathise with, understand and respect the views and feelings of patients. This is a process
and the same consideration must also be given when obtaining patient consent. It is not just a signing
of an appropriate consent form but involves listening to a patient’s concerns and anxieties, answering
their questions and providing information in a way they can understand. Having an anaesthetic, an
admission to critical care or the requirement for pain medicine are often parts of medical care about
which patients are most anxious.
Related guidelines and sources of information
The General Medical Council
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Consent: patients and doctors making decisions together, 2008.
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Maintaining boundaries: supplementary guidance, 2006.
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Making and using visual and audio recordings of patients: guidance for doctors, 2002.
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Research: the role and responsibility of doctors, 2002.
The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland
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Consent for anaesthesia (2nd edition), 2004.
Prepared by the Joint Committee on Good Practice | Page 25