Consent, privacy and communication
SMC ECEG C13, the professional boards' codes, MOH serious reportable events and family-centred disclosure in Singapore practice
Registered health professionals in Singapore: doctors, nurses and midwives, dentists and oral health therapists, pharmacists, allied health professionals, optometrists and opticians.
Structured learning and a written reflection to show insight after a complaint, an investigation or a board inquiry.
Focused learning on a core standard of practice, with a certificate and reflection for your portfolio.
This course teaches Singapore health professionals how to communicate openly and honestly with patients and families when something goes wrong in care. It covers the professional and legal basis for open disclosure, including guideline C13 of the Singapore Medical Council's Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines (2016), the honesty and disclosure expectations of the SNB, SDC, SPC, AHPC and OOB, the common law information duty shaped by Hii Chii Kok and section 37 of the Civil Law Act, and the MOH licence conditions for serious reportable events under the Healthcare Services Act 2020.
It is written for doctors, nurses and midwives, dentists and oral health therapists, pharmacists, allied health professionals and optometrists and opticians. Through fictional Singapore case examples across hospitals, polyclinics, private clinics, pharmacies, dental practices and community care, you will practise preparing for and leading disclosure conversations, apologising well, involving families in reviews, working with interpreters and caregivers, and documenting what was said.
This course has not identified a general statutory duty of candour or an apology-protection statute in Singapore, yet failure to disclose is a recurring theme in complaints and can become a disciplinary matter, and dishonesty is treated very seriously by the courts. The course helps you get disclosure right for patients, families, colleagues and yourself in Singapore's multicultural, multilingual setting.
10 sections · 28 lessons · 3 hours (estimated) · 20-question final assessment
Final assessment
20scenario-based questions
Certificate of completion
A certificate of completion for your learning portfolio.
The course includes a structured reflective account template: guided prompts to record what you learned, how you will apply it and how the change will show in your practice. It gives you written evidence of insight after a concern, and a ready record for your CPD portfolio.
Write it in your own words and leave out anything that could identify a patient, a colleague or a case. If you have an open complaint or case, talk to your adviser before reflecting on it in writing.
This course has not found a general statute imposing a duty of candour on individual health professionals in Singapore. The obligation comes from your board's code (for doctors, guideline C13 of the SMC Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines), the common law duty to give patients material information, the Healthcare Services Act licensing framework and your institution's own policy.
C13 asks doctors to act quickly to reduce harm and inform patients openly and honestly as soon as possible, to report as appropriate without letting a complaint affect continuing care, to help prevent recurrence, to avoid assigning blame before any inquiry and to ensure a smooth handover if the relationship ends.
C13 says as soon as possible and sets no fixed number of hours. The course recommends an initial conversation once the patient is stable, usually the same day, without waiting for a root cause analysis or committee report. The first conversation can say honestly what is not yet known.
This course has not identified a Singapore statute that specifically protects apologies, so it does not claim one. A claim turns on the standard of care and causation, which an honest expression of regret does not change. The course shows how to apologise sincerely without speculating about fault, and recommends checking your indemnity terms.
Licensees with an SRE quality assurance committee must notify MOH within two working days of identifying a serious reportable event and submit a review within 60 calendar days. Notification to MOH does not replace telling the patient, and the course explains how to involve patients and families in reviews.
This is common in Singapore, especially for older patients. A patient with capacity is entitled to information about their own care. The course shows how to explore the family's concerns, check the patient's own wishes and plan disclosure together.
It is for doctors, nurses and midwives, dentists and oral health therapists, pharmacists, allied health professionals, optometrists and opticians in Singapore. It takes about three hours with a 20-question assessment at 80%.
Every legal and regulatory point comes from primary sources: the Acts that set up each professional board, the boards' own codes and guidance, and the Ministry of Health. Anything we cannot confirm is left out.
Lessons, scenarios and assessment questions are written by us for each edition separately, then checked for accuracy, teaching quality and fair assessment before publication.
When a code, standard or law changes, the affected courses are reviewed and updated. Reported errors in legal or regulatory facts are corrected first.
What happens after a complaint to your clinic or your board in Singapore, from the SMC Inquiry Committee to the SNB and SPC, and how to write an honest, well-evidenced response.
Clear, honest and defensible notes for Singapore practice: what a good entry contains, late entries and corrections, AI scribes, PDPA access requests and MOH retention periods.
Practical consent for Singapore professionals: Hii Chii Kok and section 37, ECEG C6, the Mental Capacity Act, minors, families, interpreters and chaperones.
