MJA
MJA

A plea for professional independence

Hans Peter Dietz and Barrie J Stokes
Med J Aust 2012; 196 (2): . || doi: 10.5694/mja11.11064
Published online: 6 February 2012

When “should not” becomes “must not” — how mandatory compliance with guidelines can threaten professional independence

There is a proliferation of rules and red tape at all levels of society. In New South Wales, for example, the Department of Health has been generating around 70–100 policy directives a year. Among other things, such directives tell obstetricians when and how to deliver babies — compliance is mandatory, under threat of disciplinary action and loss of indemnity cover.

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