Hot topics on the MDDUS advice lines last year included subjects ranging from children's issues to confidentiality and difficult patients to problems with colleagues.
The number of calls seeking advice on children's issues rose by 16% in 2009.
Dr Gail Gilmartin, a senior medico-legal advisor at MDDUS, said: ‘The publicity generated by the Baby P case and other high-profile child abuse stories reported in the news has probably influenced this.
‘We are now receiving over 135 calls a week from doctors seeking professional guidance and help. This is in part due to an increase in our membership during 2009 but also because there is a greater awareness amongst medics that they should seek advice at the earliest possible opportunity.'
