Target driven excuses

doi:10.1136/bmj.a1255

From trainee to consultant, BMJ Group offers doctors around the world tailored information, special events, learning resources and recruitment services at every step along their career path.

... by doctors, for doctors, for patients
We are open for entries!

Online learning

BMJ Learning

High-quality CME / CPD for doctors and other healthcare professionals. BMJ Learning features hundreds of accredited, peer-reviewed learning modules in text, video, and audio formats. Find out more

Courses and Qualifications

BMJ Masterclasses

BMJ Masterclasses, led by experts, help clinicians to use the latest evidence and recent guidelines in practice and meet their CPD/CME requirements. Find out more

Exam Preparation

The leading provider of online exam preparation, helping over 167,000 healthcare professionals to pass their exams. Find out more

onExamination

Search all BMJ comment articles:

From

Limit by

Access to the full text of this article requires a subscription or payment. Please log in or subscribe below.

Irving Cobden, consultant gastroenterologist1

¹Northumbria Healthcare Trust, North Shields NE29 8NH

irving.cobden{at}nhct.nhs.uk

Rawlinson blames the four hour accident and emergency target for mismanagement of emergency patients.1 However, the examples he gives of last minute inappropriate moves are merely those of poor practice and gaming—what we in the emergency care team used to call “hitting the target but missing the point.” Although I have seen examples of similar behaviour, I have only rarely seen it …