Panel hearing summary 2013.0162

Decision of the Medical Board of Australia

Performance and Professional Standards panel

Jurisdiction: Western Australia
Date of Hearing: 2 April 2013
Date of Decision: 2 April 2013

Classification of Notification:

Clinical Care: Inadequate or inappropriate treatment

Health Record: inadequate or inaccurate or misleading

Allegations

It was alleged that a medical practitioner had behaved in a way that constitutes unsatisfactory professional performance under section 191(1)(b)(i) of the National Law in that they:

1. applied an excessive amount of liquid nitrogen to a patient’s warts, resulting in burns to the skin and subsequent scarring 
2. failed to follow accepted medical practice by de-roofing the blisters caused by the cyrotherapy treatment and 
3. failed to keep adequate clinical notes of the consultations, which sufficiently detailed the clinical history, clinical findings, information given to the patient and the treatment provided.

Finding

The panel found that the practitioner had no case to answer.

The adverse outcome appears to have arisen as a result of cryotherapy treatment being applied to a large cluster of warts, not due to the application of an excessive amount of liquid nitrogen.

On the basis of the expert evidence obtained, it does not appear that the de-roofing of blisters is absolutely contraindicated, despite most practitioners agreeing that it is not best practice to do so.

The panel did not make a finding about the practitioner’s clinical notes on the basis that the practitioner has taken steps to improve the quality of their record keeping.

Determination

The panel decided to take no further action in relation to the matter.