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Is A Doctor Non-verbally Indicating An Interest Towards A Patient Abuse?

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Posted on Tue, 27 Jan 2015
Question: Could you please clarify what abuse is in a doctor visit using the following group of questions I have thought of? So this group is one question, how do these relate to what a healthy doctor - patient relationship is? Maybe you can just clarify and define what this is for me if going in to my long group of examples and questions is too much. I trust you can define this relationship in this context for me. Thank you!

If there is this situation: your physician expresses somewhat indirectly an interest in
a personal relationship with you during the office visit, is this always abuse or an incident? If they complete the visit and the patient was able to respond such that they got the indication that their interest was reciprocated and further development was welcome at that point, then said something, put it in to words, like: well, we agree; I am glad you know how I feel so let us make some plans, is that still wrong? If it were not abuse, would they nonverbally indicate their feelings to try to figure out how the patient feels about them personally including sexual attraction feelings? Is this abuse? Is the visit ever a safe, for purposes of this example, time to form a personal relationship or start a personal relationship? Can you address if you are already friends and a potential romantic partner with a doctor and have not been their patient, should you not see them? Does becoming a patient spoil this potential or confuse a person such that they should avoid being a patient? If they become a patient can they remain on the same basis or does it have to change the relationship they already have?

Would you give your opinion as to a doctor being totally professional and both agree they like each other, doctor and patient, and during the visit or after they say we should make a date or something? I think any more than that is not safe, am I right?

So, many questions here but mostly do the situations I have described constitute abuse and what does it do relating to that, if you become a patient of someone you know?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Kathy Robinson (4 hours later)
Brief Answer:
doctor patient relationships forbidden

Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for this question.

It is never appropriate for doctors to form relationships with their patients. Even friendships are not a good idea. When a doctor has a relationship with a patient they lose objectivity and can no longer provide good medical care. This is why doctors are not supposed to take care of their family members.

If a doctor indicates that they are interested in a sexual or dating relationship with a patient this could be considered abuse. If it is reported to the medical board that doctor could lose their license. The doctor patient relationship must at all times remain professional. Any doctor that does not follow this rule can cause harm to the patient and can put themselves at risk of losing their medical license.

If you are already in a personal relationship with a physician, it is very important that you have another physician be your medical caregiver.

Again, any relationship between a doctor and their patient should be strictly professional.
Thank you for using HCM.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj
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Answered by
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Dr. Kathy Robinson

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :1989

Answered : 3535 Questions

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Is A Doctor Non-verbally Indicating An Interest Towards A Patient Abuse?

Brief Answer: doctor patient relationships forbidden Detailed Answer: Hello and thank you for this question. It is never appropriate for doctors to form relationships with their patients. Even friendships are not a good idea. When a doctor has a relationship with a patient they lose objectivity and can no longer provide good medical care. This is why doctors are not supposed to take care of their family members. If a doctor indicates that they are interested in a sexual or dating relationship with a patient this could be considered abuse. If it is reported to the medical board that doctor could lose their license. The doctor patient relationship must at all times remain professional. Any doctor that does not follow this rule can cause harm to the patient and can put themselves at risk of losing their medical license. If you are already in a personal relationship with a physician, it is very important that you have another physician be your medical caregiver. Again, any relationship between a doctor and their patient should be strictly professional. Thank you for using HCM.