Scenario Type: Patient Safety Concerns

Patient safety scenarios are the highest-stakes questions in SJT. They test whether you will act decisively when a patient could be harmed — even when acting means confronting a colleague, challenging a senior, or stepping outside your comfort zone. This lesson provides a thorough analysis of the most common patient safety scenario types with fully worked examples.

---

The Golden Rules for Patient Safety Scenarios

Before examining specific scenarios, internalise these rules:

Rule	Explanation
1. Never ignore a safety risk	Inaction when a patient is at risk is always rated "inappropriate" or "very inappropriate"
2. Act immediately when the risk is immediate	Do not wait for a convenient moment — act now
3. You are never "too junior" to speak up	Medical students have the same duty to raise safety concerns as consultants
4. Escalate if your initial concern is dismissed	If the first person you tell does not act, tell someone more senior
5. Document what you observed	Record the facts objectively — what, when, where, who

---