Membership of the Joint Dental Faculties (MJDF) Professionalism, Law, Ethics and Practice Management Syllabus

Professionalism, Law, Ethics and Practice Management syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Professionalism, Law, Ethics and Practice Management in Membership of the Joint Dental Faculties (MJDF), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Professional Standards and Ethics

   4 topics

   • GDC Standards for the Dental Team
     • The nine principles
     • Scope of practice and the dental team
   • Ethical principles and ethical decision-making
   • Probity, honesty and the duty of candour
   • Fitness to practise and professional accountability
2. 2

   Consent and Confidentiality

   3 topics

   • Valid consent
     • Capacity and the Mental Capacity Act
     • Consent for children and Gillick competence
     • Montgomery and material risk disclosure
   • Confidentiality and information governance
   • Data protection and UK GDPR in practice
3. 3

   Law and Risk Management

   4 topics

   • Negligence, duty of care and standard of care
   • Complaints handling and resolution
   • Record keeping and clinical documentation
   • Indemnity, regulation and the CQC
4. 4

   Communication and Teamworking

   4 topics

   • Effective patient communication and shared decision-making
   • Communicating with vulnerable groups and using interpreters
   • Referral writing and inter-professional communication
   • Breaking difficult news and managing dissatisfaction
5. 5

   Evidence, Quality and Practice

   4 topics

   • Evidence-based dentistry and critical appraisal
   • Clinical audit and quality improvement
   • Continuing professional development and reflective practice
   • Significant event analysis and patient safety

Professionalism, Law, Ethics and Practice Management flashcards for Membership of the Joint Dental Faculties (MJDF)

21 of 56 cards from the Professionalism, Law, Ethics and Practice Management deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the nine principles of the GDC's 'Standards for the Dental Team'?

   1) Put patients' interests first; 2) Communicate effectively; 3) Obtain valid consent; 4) Maintain and protect patients' information; 5) Have a clear and effective complaints procedure; 6) Work with colleagues in a way that serves patients' interests; 7) Maintain, develop and work within your professional knowledge and skills; 8) Raise concerns if patients are at risk; 9) Make sure your personal behaviour maintains patients' confidence in you and the profession.

2. Which GDC standard principle covers raising concerns (whistleblowing) when patients are at risk?

   Principle 8 - 'Raise concerns if patients are at risk.' Registrants have a duty to act if they believe patients' safety is compromised, and the GDC operates a confidential whistleblowing line.

3. What are the four classical principles of biomedical ethics (Beauchamp and Childress)?

   Autonomy (respect for the patient's right to self-determination), Beneficence (acting in the patient's best interests), Non-maleficence (do no harm), and Justice (fairness in distribution of care and resources).

4. Define the ethical principle of 'autonomy' in dental practice.

   Respecting the patient's right to make their own informed decisions about their care, including the right to refuse treatment, free from coercion.

5. What is the difference between deontological and consequentialist (utilitarian) ethical reasoning?

   Deontology judges actions by adherence to duties/rules and intrinsic rightness regardless of outcome; consequentialism (utilitarianism) judges actions by their outcomes, aiming to maximise overall good.

6. What is 'probity' in the context of dental professionalism?

   Probity means complete honesty, integrity and trustworthiness, particularly regarding finances, claims, fee/NHS records, research and dealings with patients, colleagues and regulators.

7. Define the professional 'duty of candour' and its statutory basis in England.

   The duty of candour is the obligation to be open and honest with patients when something goes wrong with their care. The statutory (organisational) duty arises under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, Regulation 20, enforced by the CQC; a parallel professional duty of candour is set by the GDC and other healthcare regulators.

8. What three actions does the professional duty of candour require when a patient is harmed?

   1) Tell the patient (or representative) when something has gone wrong; 2) Apologise and offer an appropriate remedy or support; 3) Explain fully the short- and long-term effects of what has happened.

9. What is 'Fitness to Practise' (FtP) as assessed by the GDC?

   A registrant's suitability to be on the register without restriction - having the necessary skills, knowledge, character and health to practise dentistry safely and effectively. It can be impaired by misconduct, deficient performance, health, criminal conviction/caution, or a determination by another regulator.

10. List the sanctions available to a GDC Practice Committee following a fitness-to-practise hearing.

    No action; a reprimand; conditions on registration (up to 3 years); suspension (up to 12 months, renewable); or erasure (removal) from the register. Interim orders (interim suspension/conditions) can also be imposed while a case is ongoing.

11. What are the four core elements of valid consent?

    Consent must be: 1) given by a person with capacity; 2) voluntary (free from coercion); 3) sufficiently informed; and 4) it is an ongoing/continuing process that can be withdrawn at any time.

12. Which UK legal case established the modern 'material risks' standard for consent, and what does it require?

    Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board (2015). It requires disclosing any risk to which a reasonable patient in that position would attach significance, or which this particular patient would, plus reasonable alternatives - shifting from a doctor-centred (Bolam) to a patient-centred standard.

13. Under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, what are the four-part functional tests a person must satisfy to demonstrate capacity?

    To have capacity for a decision, a person must be able to: 1) understand the relevant information; 2) retain it (long enough to decide); 3) use or weigh it; and 4) communicate the decision (by any means).

14. State the five statutory principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

    1) Presumption of capacity; 2) support to make own decisions before deeming someone unable; 3) unwise decisions do not equal lack of capacity; 4) acts/decisions for those lacking capacity must be in their best interests; 5) choose the least restrictive option of their rights and freedoms.

15. At what age is a person presumed competent to consent to dental treatment in England, and how can younger children consent?

    At 16-17 a young person is presumed competent (Family Law Reform Act 1969). A child under 16 may consent if 'Gillick competent' - having sufficient maturity and understanding to comprehend the proposed treatment.

16. What are the seven Caldicott Principles governing the use of confidential patient information?

    1) Justify the purpose; 2) use confidential info only when necessary; 3) use the minimum necessary; 4) access on a strict need-to-know basis; 5) everyone is aware of their responsibilities; 6) comply with the law; 7) the duty to share information for individual care is as important as the duty to protect confidentiality (and a new 8th: inform patients about how their data is used).

17. In what circumstances may a dentist lawfully breach patient confidentiality?

    With the patient's consent; where required by law/statute (e.g. notifiable diseases, court order); or where there is an overriding public interest (e.g. risk of serious harm to the patient or others, safeguarding concerns). Disclosure should be the minimum necessary.

18. Name the six lawful bases for processing personal data under the UK GDPR (Article 6).

    1) Consent; 2) Contract; 3) Legal obligation; 4) Vital interests; 5) Public task; 6) Legitimate interests. (For NHS care, processing typically relies on public task/legal obligation rather than consent.)

19. Under UK GDPR, what is 'special category data' and what extra condition is needed to process it (health data)?

    Special category data includes health, genetic, biometric, racial/ethnic, religious, sex-life data etc. To process it lawfully you need both an Article 6 lawful basis AND an Article 9 condition - for healthcare this is usually Article 9(2)(h): provision of health/social care by a health professional under a duty of confidentiality.

20. State the seven data protection principles under UK GDPR (Article 5).

    Personal data must be: 1) processed lawfully, fairly and transparently; 2) collected for specified, explicit, legitimate purposes (purpose limitation); 3) adequate, relevant and limited (data minimisation); 4) accurate; 5) kept no longer than necessary (storage limitation); 6) processed securely (integrity and confidentiality); and 7) the controller is accountable for compliance.

21. Under UK GDPR, within what timeframe must a Subject Access Request (SAR) normally be answered, and what is the fee?

    Normally within one calendar month of receipt, free of charge (the previous £10 fee was abolished). It may be extended by a further two months for complex/numerous requests, and a reasonable fee may be charged only for manifestly unfounded or excessive requests.

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