Individual performance data of doctors and surgeons - your right to know

Individual performance data of doctors and surgeons - your right to know

Information Commissioner Richard Thomas, has said that he wants doctors to publish individual performance data but such a move is opposed by the medical profession. The Royal Society of Surgeons has opposed the idea and Dr John Powell, chairman of the British Medical Association's IT committee, supported their stance: "It does not make sense to publish simplistic indicators of doctor's performance such as patient deaths. These figures do not take into account the case load of a doctor." He claimed that the BMA supported the principle of the public's "right to know" but warned that the time doctors spend away from patients to deal with paperwork "must be minimised".

Uncovering the secrets of the NHS (BBC website, 9 January 2005)