A national medical register: balancing public transparency and professional privacy.
The first aim of a medical registration scheme should be to protect patients. Medical registration boards currently offer variable information to the public on doctors' registration status. Current reform proposals for a national registration scheme should include free public access to professional profiles of registered medical practitioners. Practitioner profiles should include: practitioner's full name and practice address; type of qualifications; year first registered, and duration and type of registration; any conditions on registration and practice; any disciplinary action taken; and participation in continuing professional education.
Healy
Judith M
JM
Regulatory Institutions Network (RegNet), Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia. judith.healy@anu.edu.au
Maffi
Costanza L
CL
Dugdale
Paul
P
D022126:Access to Information; D001315:Australia; D003406:Credentialing; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D010820:Physicians / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012042:Registries / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*