Davies H T, Shields A V
University of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, UK.
J Eval Clin Pract. 1999 Aug;5(3):335-42. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2753.1999.00200.x.
The General Medical Council hearing into events at the Bristol Royal Infirmary resulted in verdicts of serious professional misconduct against three senior doctors. After the longest-running hearing in the GMC's history the press response was fierce. This paper reviews the reporting of the Bristol case (and issues arising from it) in the main broadsheet and tabloid national newspapers (dailies and Sundays) in the 5-week period around the GMC's delivery of the verdicts and subsequent sentencing. The aim was to describe the main themes emerging from the press coverage and to assess the implications for future debates over clinical performance and accountability. Media interest in the Bristol case was intense (184 published items in 5 weeks). The reporting was emotive and largely hostile, raising doubts about not just isolated lapses of care but also the possibility of more systematic failings. Diminished trust and reduced public confidence were recurrent themes, powerfully expressed. Professional self-regulation received scathing criticism, with calls for more public access to individual performance data. Future debates about clinical governance will need to take account of the new public context in the wake of Bristol. Arguments about the relative merits of self-regulation or data-driven performance management systems now need to be played out for a knowing and openly sceptical print media.
英国医学总会对布里斯托尔皇家医院事件的听证会裁定三名资深医生严重违反职业操守。在英国医学总会历史上历时最长的听证会结束后，媒体反应强烈。本文回顾了在英国医学总会做出裁决及随后量刑的五周时间里，英国各大主流严肃报纸和小报（包括日报和周日报纸）对布里斯托尔事件（及其引发的问题）的报道。目的是描述媒体报道中出现的主要主题，并评估其对未来关于临床绩效和问责制辩论的影响。媒体对布里斯托尔事件兴趣浓厚（五周内发表了184篇相关报道）。报道充满情绪化且大多带有敌意，不仅让人对个别护理失误产生怀疑，还引发了对更系统性失误可能性的质疑。信任度降低和公众信心下降是反复出现的主题，且表达得很强烈。专业自我监管受到严厉批评，有人呼吁公众更多地获取个人绩效数据。在布里斯托尔事件之后，未来关于临床治理的辩论需要考虑到新的公众背景。关于自我监管或数据驱动的绩效管理系统相对优点的争论，现在需要在一个知情且公开持怀疑态度的平面媒体面前展开。
