UAA Honorary Member Lecture: Learning through Giving Expert Opinion, a Hong Kong Case Book

Teng-Aik OngMalaysia Moderator

Chi Wai ManHong Kong, China Speaker UAA Honorary Member Lecture: Learning through Giving Expert Opinion, a Hong Kong Case BookLearning through giving expert opinion, a Hong Kong urology case book Dr Man, Chi Wai MBBS HK FRCS Edin FRCS Glas FCSHK FHKAM Dip Urol Lond LLB Beij Consultant Urologist, Tuen Mun Hospital In Hong Kong older urologists are often asked to give expert opinions to various parties including the Coroner and the Medical Council. The expert must give unbiased assistance to the justice system. I also try to explain that there are factors other than the urologist care to account for the outcome, and to look for possible improvements in our care. Thanks for allowing me to share with you my humble experience. The Coroner in HK has the duty to determine the cause of death. If the cause is mishap, civil or disciplinary action will follow. I need to explain why death was not preventable when that was the case. The Medical Council is the statutory body responsible for overseeing professional registration and discipline. It carries out inquiries into complaints of misconduct against doctors. Most of these were about unfavourable outcome and disregard of professional responsibilities. Medical Council actively collects evidence required for proof of medical negligence. Defence could be made by disproving damage or causation of damage. In most cases, proof of no breach of duty by focusing on standard of care is required. I need to explain in such cases that despite appropriate and proper care, an unfavourable outcome could still occur. While the Bolam principle still applies to most aspects of patient care, it is no longer the case in warning patients of risks since the Montgomery case. The most important lesson I learned was that good contemporaneous documentation in medical records is the most important line of defence for urologists.