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ML08
CONDUCTING A REVIEW – THE IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS
Author(s) -
Merry A. F.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
anz journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.426
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 1445-1433
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.2007.04123_8.x
Subject(s) - reputation , medicine , confidentiality , competence (human resources) , public relations , process (computing) , panel discussion , position paper , law , psychology , political science , social psychology , business , computer science , pathology , advertising , operating system
Reviews of practice tend to arise out of conflict between the person reviewed and the organisation requesting the review, usually after a failure of the two parties to resolve their differences at a lower level. It follows that legal challenges are likely, and this has been borne out by experience. Such challenges will generally be based on alleged failures in process. Furthermore, being reviewed is exceptionally stressful for any doctor and creates serious risks to his or her health and reputation. It is essential that these risks are minimized and that all parties emerge from the review believing that the process has been impartial, professional, confidential and fair. The key is to engage a senior lawyer with appropriate experience and expressly charge him or her (in writing) with the responsibility for process. This lawyer must be independent (the reviewing organisation’s own lawyers are not appropriate for this position), directly accountable to the chair of the review panel, and have unrestricted time for this task. He or she should be present at all meetings between the panel and the reviewed doctor and should revise all documents produced by the panel. The panel chair should assign the primary responsibility for reviewing the professional competence of the doctor to other panel members and should focus instead on ‘chairing’, on process, and on the wider (or ‘big picture’) issues which surround the review. Previous experience in reviews is essential for this role.