英國醫療大變革：醫生須每五年考覈一次

Britain's 150,000 doctors will have to show they are fit to practice once every five years in the nation's biggest change to Medical regulation for 150 years.

Doctors falling below standard risk being struck off the medical register unless they improve, under plans published by England's Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson on Wednesday.

At present doctors can only be debarred if complaints about their conduct or medical practice are upheld by regulators at the General Medical Council.

Last year the GMC struck off a total of 60 doctors.

Most doctors already undergo annual peer performance reviews, looking at factors such as prescribing habits and how up to date they are on the latest medical advice and research.

Under the new scheme these reviews will be standardized and patients will also be asked for their views on issues such as doctors' communication skills and ability to involve the patient in treatment decisions.

The new appraisals will begin in pilots in late 2009. Doctors will need to be recertified as competent every five years.

"There hasn't been that process before," said a Department of Health spokeswoman. "Once someone was certified they could be a doctor for 50 years, the way the current system works."

GMC President Graeme Catto said the plans were "the biggest change to medical regulation in one hundred and fifty years."

英國將推行150年來最大的一次醫療管理制度改革，今後英國的15萬名醫生每五年要接受一次行醫資格審查。

英國首席醫療官李安姆•唐納德森於本週三公佈的改革方案規定，經審查不合格的醫生如在一段時間內無改進，將面臨被吊銷行醫執照的危險。

目前，英國的醫生只有在被醫療委員會認定爲不稱職的情況下才可被吊銷執照。

去年，醫療委員會共取消了60名醫生的行醫資格。

目前英國大多數醫生已開始接受年度行業考覈，考覈的內容包括開立處方的習慣以及在醫療方面的新建議和醫學研究進展等。

而新規定要求，這些考覈將走向規範化，而且要將病人的意見考慮進去，比如他們對醫生的溝通技巧和讓病人蔘與醫治決定能力的評價等。

新考覈體系將於明年底開始試推行，醫生們須每五年更新一次執照。

英國衛生部的一名女發言人說：“以前我們從未有過這一制度。按照現行制度，行醫執照的有效期爲50年。”

醫療委員會主席格拉姆•卡託說，這將是“英國150年來最重大的一次醫療管理制度改革”。

Vocabulary:

strike off: 取消

debar: to exclude or shut out; bar.（把…排除在外；把…排除在外，不予考慮）