Professionalism, Medical Negligence, and Jurisprudence in Anaesthetic Practice — WACS Viva & Clinical Scenarios (Health Management, Medical Ethics and Professionalism)

Exam-style professionalism, medical negligence, and jurisprudence in anaesthetic practice viva scenarios with examiner probes and model answers for ANAESTHESIA…

Scenarios covered

• SCENARIO 1: A patient suffers a severe permanent peripheral nerve injury of the brachial plexus following a prolonged laparotomy under general anaesthesia. Explain the legal four-point test for medical negligence (Duty of Care, Breach, Causation, Damage) and discuss how the Bolam and Bolitho principles apply to this case.
• SCENARIO 2: You administered an intravenous induction agent via a misplaced peripheral cannula, resulting in severe extravasation injury, tissue necrosis, and prolonged hospital stay. Conduct an open disclosure interview with the patient and family, balancing professional accountability with medicolegal awareness.
• SCENARIO 3: You observe a senior colleague exhibiting erratic clinical behavior, frequent unexplained absences from theatre, slurred speech, and unusual discrepancies in the controlled opioid medication register. Outline your immediate and long-term actions regarding patient safety, peer support, and regulatory reporting.
• SCENARIO 4: Following an unexpected intraoperative cardiac arrest resulting in patient demise, describe the correct procedures for contemporaneous clinical documentation, handling of physical evidence, root cause analysis, and preparation for a coroner's inquest.
• SCENARIO 5: Discuss the legal doctrine of Res Ipsa Loquitur as applied to anaesthetic critical incidents (e.g., diathermy burns, drug syringe swaps, or wrong-side nerve blocks) and differentiate this from recognized, unavoidable procedural complications.