Dr. Gabriel Scally:

I am a great believer in codes of conduct. I was on the General Medical Council in the UK for ten years and we introduced quite a rigorous code at that time. In my first report, I was not particularly happy with some of the content of the Irish Medical Council's code, especially its use of the word "should" rather than "must". I do not think open disclosure is an optional extra. It must be at the core of everything the professionals do. I hope someone at some stage in the next year or two reviews all of the codes of conduct for all health professionals to see what is in there and ensure that expectations of all our health professionals include that they are open, frank and honest with patients. That includes the ability of health professionals to say they do not know something or are uncertain. That sort of honest dialogue is crucial.