Professionalism in Healthcare: Case Study Analysis Report

This report analyzes a case study concerning a healthcare professional's conduct, specifically focusing on disciplinary proceedings and ethical breaches. The case involves a complaint filed against a practitioner, alleging professional misconduct related to patient interactions and adherence to professional standards. The analysis utilizes professional definitions to explain the reasons behind the misconduct, referencing relevant codes and standards of practice. The report examines the role of the health ombudsman in healthcare management and patient care, and discusses the importance of professional behavior. It also reflects on how the case study informs future professional behavior, emphasizing the importance of ethical conduct, documentation, and patient communication. References include academic sources on ombudsman systems, patient consent, and workplace learning.

Assessment 1: Being professional

Table of Contents
Summary of the case study..................................................................................................................3
Analysation of the case study using professional definitions to explain reasons....................4
Reflection on how the case study will reflect on the professional behaviour in future..........6
References List.......................................................................................................................................7

Url of the case study -
http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/qld/QCAT/2021/42.html
Summary of the case study
Understanding how people perceive healthcare facilities' services is seen as an essential
reference point for the development of healthcare and management processes as a
management tool. According to studies, the patient is an integral element of the healthcare
system and should be treated as such. Obtaining patient input enables management to make
changes to the way healthcare workers perform their duties, ultimately leading to enhanced
patient care and higher customer happiness (Hvala et al.2021). Relationship practices must be
included in order for new practices to be adopted. Listening to patients' demands allows
health care practitioners to expand their service capacity and enhance their treatments,
resulting in an increase in the availability of healthcare services .
Currently, healthcare institutions have systems in place that allow patients to have a say in the
treatments they get. As a result, these organizations are constantly on the lookout for new and
better ways to improve the quality of the services they offer. The appointment of an
ombudsman involves patients and the community in the decision-making process (Hvala et
al.2021).By allowing individuals to use their democratic right to evaluate and oversee
governmental management, the establishment of an ombudsman can enhance civic
engagement and social involvement. The presence of an ombudsman at a hospital allows
patients and healthcare personnel to have a voice in how their facilities are administered.
Data collection and analysis can only be carried out with the active participation of patients
and their family members in order to uncover any structural or operational problems that may

exist and eventually lead to better patient care. As part of the quality movement in healthcare
today, patients may expect risk-free assistance from management (Kramer et al.2019).
The health ombudsman's work promotes healthcare management to meet the needs of its
clientele. As a consequence, it provides information about the elements influencing service
quality. As an impartial third party, ombudsmen play a key role in the link between the
service provider and the end user. The ombudsman encourages public engagement, enhances
civic practice, and redirects public administration's focus to the citizen through enabling
communication and access to information.
Analysation of the case study using professional definitions to explain reasons
On January 31, 2020, the petitioner filed a complaint with the Tribunal against these
disciplinary procedures. The respondent's actions, in their opinion, should be characterized as
professional misconduct by the Tribunal, which is: As a health care practitioner, you should
conduct yourself in a way consistent with your training and expertise. When Mr Diehm QC
signed the respondent's submissions to the Tribunal on October 23, 2020, it was obvious that
the respondent (appropriately) acknowledged his conduct as professional misconduct. These
policies are designed to protect rather than punish. When it comes to penalizing health care
practitioners, the Tribunal prioritizes health and safety.
The parties had agreed on the sentencing, as previously mentioned. To ensure that
disciplinary proceedings are used to protect rather than punish, the Tribunal should not differ
from a prescribed punishment unless it goes above and beyond what can be sanctioned under
the circumstances. The applicant must show that the claimed misbehavior is professional
dishonesty on their own. Because the claimed activity in respect to both claims is intertwined,

both charges should be considered part of the same action. According to the defendant, his
actions breached several of the aforementioned Codes. These standards can be used in court
to demonstrate what constitutes excellent professional behavior or practice for health care
practitioners.The Office of the Health Ombudsman engaged Dr. Michael Beech to assist them
in understanding how a patient's behavior may be related to the standards of good practice for
psychiatrists. Even if the responder was opposing any of the facts in the complaint at the
time, he now accepts them in their entirety. Quotes from Dr. Beech, who has dealt with
boundary violations, best summarize the gravity of the respondent's transgressions, which did
not result in a sexual connection. His list of issues also includes deterrence and the
significance of maintaining trust in a medical field that deals with the most vulnerable people.
Dr. Beech's comments are equally pertinent to this matter(Knight et al.2019).
These policies are designed to protect rather than punish. When it comes to penalizing health
care practitioners, the Tribunal prioritizes health and safety(Aufrecht,2020).As previously
stated, the parties have reached a penalty agreement. Although imposing penalties above the
permissible range of punishments may be required, the Tribunal should not do so unless it is
in the best interests of protecting rather than punishing. Respondent signed an affidavit in
these proceedings on September 29, 2020. On the recommendation of his indemnity
insurance company, psychiatrist Dr. Frank Varghese was appointed as his clinical supervisor,
and he has participated in several educational sessions provided by Risk Advisory Service
(Netting et al.2020).

Reflection on how the case study will reflect on the professional behaviour in future
According to me text message risk management advice from addiction medicine
professionals, in my opinion, does not hold up. I believe it should have been extensively
recorded and defined in order to be a therapeutic tool.the patient's communications should
have been dealt with promptly, and she should have been clearly notified that they were
unsuitable. It should've been documented somehow. Allowing this to continue is simply
intolerable. Ignoring what was being stated would have been insufficient. It's difficult to
know for sure until he directly told her to stop. If she declined, he should have documented it
and given her the name of another doctor. Even meeting her in a parking lot on Boxing Day
seemed out of character for her, in my opinion. I'm not sure what to think about this. It was
impolite to even meet her, let alone sit in her car.Developing techniques to aid professionals
learn in and through their job is an important component of workplace learning theories and
research in order to keep up with the ever-changing nature of their professions and
workplaces. Unexpected developments in the workplace may teach you a lot.
When experts' normal habits are disrupted, mistakes become more likely. As a result of
workplace changes, professionals have the chance to learn and grow as they confront new
challenges, gain new skills, improve their work routines, and apply new methods of
accomplishing their responsibilities. It is critical that they participate actively in learning
activities, many of which involve collaboration among professions. A person's attitude,
behavior, and work environment all influence how much they learn from and through
workplace changes(Knight et al.2019) . Learning in the workplace is investigated from an
educational standpoint, with an emphasis on how professionals perceive learning possibilities
created by workplace changes and how they engage in learning activities. The research also
examines how their regular work practices and habits change as a result of their learning.
Because job responsibilities, procedures, and working environments change so frequently, it

is critical for professionals to establish effective methods for learning from and coping with
such change.

References List
Aufrecht, S. E. (2020). Evaluating Ombudsman Systems Steven E. Aufrecht and Marc
Hertogh. Righting wrongs: the Ombudsman in six continents, 13, 389.
Hvala, T., Castles, M., & Pender, K. (2021). Rethinking'Richardson': Sexual harassment
damages in the (hashtag) MeToo era. Federal Law Review, 49(2), 231-271.
Knight, S. R., Pearson, R., Kiely, C., Lee, G., MacDonald, A. J., Macdonald, A., ... &
Hughes, D. (2019). Patient consent in the post-Montgomery era: a national multi-
speciality prospective study. the surgeon, 17(5), 277-283.
Kramer, G., Robertson, B., Easton, P., & Pearson, A. (2019). Developing health literacy
policy in Scotland: A case study. In International Handbook of Health Literacy (pp.
419-434). Policy Press.
Netting, F. E., & Nelson, H. W. (2020). Managing disaster preparation amid conflicts of
interest: A teaching/learning case study. Human Service Organizations: Management,
Leadership & Governance, 44(2), 187-197.