Medical Commission lays rules, urges doctors not to mislead public with irrelevant details on signboards, visiting cards

The National Medical Commission (NMC) recommended guidelines for doctors stating that a doctor should not use an unusually large signboard and write on it anything other than his name, qualifications, titles, specialty or registration number, reported PTI. NMC also suggested extension of this rule to doctor’s prescription papers should also have similar relevant contents only.

Furthermore, the NMC’s Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) advises against placing a signboard on a chemist’s shop or in locations where the doctor does not practice or reside as stated in its E-Book: “Professional Conduct Review – Lessons from Case Archives”.

The book also underlined the significance of trust in the doctor-patient relationship, stating that a lack of trust often leads to litigation against doctors. It further states that most common cause of complaints against doctors is due to a communication gap between patients and doctors.

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The commission further stated that public should not be mislead through misinformation given using signboards, visiting cards or announcements.

While medical practitioners may acquire additional skills and training in various areas within their field, the title ‘consultant/specialist’ should only be used by those qualified in the specific specialty.

The Ethics and Medical Registration Board of the NMC, functioning as an appellate body, has been handling cases related to misconduct by doctors and passing judgments. 

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Dr. Yogender Malik, the editor of the booklet and a member of the Ethics and Medical Registration Board of the NMC, mentioned that the need to disseminate the learnings from the complaint cases against doctors was felt right from the beginning. He also stated that a board of experts went through hundreds of pages of complaint cases against doctors and summarised the essence of each case while maintaining the core message.

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The case studies presented in the book highlight the challenges patients face in distinguishing between ethics, conduct and negligence. NMC stated some doctors believe patients should not complain unless harm has occurred.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Updated: 07 Oct 2023, 02:57 PM IST

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