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Radiological contrast media play an essential role in radiology departments by facilitating more precise and detailed images. It is important to note that for radiologists the use of these contrast agents implies several legal responsibilities and ethical considerations towards patients. This article will explore the main issues related to responsibility and complication management for radiologists, referring physicians and other related professionals, as well as issues around informed consent, contraindications for their use and the benefit-risk balance assessed when deciding if a contrast-enhanced test should be carried out. In addition, we will address the crucial role of the radiologist in effective communication with patients and in obtaining informed consent. This research relates to Spanish legislation in the context of medical practice., (Copyright © 2024 SERAM. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objective. Analyze the frequency of medication errors committed and reported by patients. Methods. Descriptive study based on a telephone survey of a random sample of adult patients from the primary care level of the Spanish public health care system. A total of 1 247 patients responded (75% response rate); 63% were women and 29% were older than 70 years. Results. While 37 patients (3%, 95% CI: 2-4) experienced complications associated with medication in the course of treatment, 241 (19.4%, 95% CI: 17-21) reported having made some mistake with their medication. A shorter consultation time (P < 0.01) and a worse assessment of the information provided by the physician (P < 0.01) were associated with the fact that during pharmacy dispensing the patient was told that the prescribed treatment was not appropriate. Conclusions. In addition to the known risks of an adverse event due to a health intervention resulting from a system or practitioner error, there are risks associated with patient errors in the self-administration of medication. Patients who were unsatisfied with the information provided by the physician reported a greater number of errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the offer of preventive activities by resident physicians of family medicine in the Primary Care consultations and the relation with their communication habilities., Design: A descriptive multicentre study assessing medical consultations video recording., Location: Eight Primary Healthcare centres in Jaen (Andalucia)., Participants: Seventy-three resident physicians (4th year) filmed and observed with patients., Principal Measurements: Offer of preventive activities (according to the Spanish Program of Preventive Activities and Health Promotion -PAPPS-). Doctor, patient and consultation characteristics. Peer-review of the communication between physicians and patients, using a CICAA scale. A descriptive, bivariate, logistic regression analysis was performed., Results: Two hundred and sixty interviews were evaluated (duration 8.5±4.0min) of 73 residents (50.7% women, mean age 32.9±7.7 years, 79% urban environment). The patient is more frequently a woman (60%) who comes alone (72%) due to acute processes (80%) and with 2.1±1.0 demands. Preventive activities are offered in 47% (duration less than one minute) of primary (70%) and secondary (59%) prevention, offered through advice (72%) or screening (52%) and focused on the cardiovascular area (52%) and lifestyles (53%). Eighty percent related to the patient's reason for consultation. Communication skills 41% improvable, 26% adequate, 23% excellent. The offer of preventive activities is related to the duration of the consultation (OR=1.1, 95% CI 1.01; 1.16) and communication skills (OR=1.03, 95% CI 1.01; 1.10)., Conclusions: Preventive activities are carried out in almost half of the consultations, although focused on advice and screening and linked to the patient's demand. Consultation time and communication skills favor a greater preventive offer., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)