Professional skills and behaviour

This chapter discusses professional skills and behaviour in ophthalmology. It starts off by detailing good medical practice, as set forth by the General Medical Council. It then addresses information governance, with a discussion of the Data Protection Act 1988, the roles of the Information Commissioner’s Office and the Caldicott Guardian, and the use or disclosure of confidential information, as well as the Freedom of Information Act 2000, electronic health records, and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists’ national ophthalmic audit programme. It then goes on to discuss clinical governance and risk management, clinical leadership, and NHS management, education, and training. Communication and consent, research, statistics, and the Ophthalmic Trainees’ Group are also addressed. The chapter concludes with a discussion concerning the safeguarding of patients.