PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - John Scarpello
TI  - Dysfunctional doctors – will revalidation help?
AID  - 10.7861/clinmedicine.12-2-111
DP  - 2012 Apr 01
TA  - Clinical Medicine
PG  - 111--113
VI  - 12
IP  - 2
4099  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/12/2/111.short
4100  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/12/2/111.full
SO  - Clin Med2012 Apr 01; 12
AB  - Numbers of National Clinical Assessment Service referrals concerning practitioners' performance are much higher for the over-50s, especially in GPs. In 20% of cases there are concerns with diagnosis that are unlikely to be recognised by revalidation. Accurate and timely diagnosis is fundamental to patient safety, and the results of studies in which GPs were tested using mystery patients are not encouraging. We need to assess pratictioners' competencies in diagnosis throughout their careers. Plans to extend working life may require changes to the clinical responsibilities of older doctors.