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10 - The doctor and sexual boundaries

Kerry J. Breen ,
Stephen M. Cordner ,
Colin J. H. Thomson  and
Vernon D. Plueckhahn
Kerry J. Breen
Affiliation:
National Health and Medical Research Council
Stephen M. Cordner
Affiliation:
Monash University, Victoria
Colin J. H. Thomson
Affiliation:
University of Wollongong, New South Wales
Vernon D. Plueckhahn
Affiliation:
Monash University, Victoria
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Summary

From the time of Hippocrates, the medical profession has acknowledged that the special relationship of trust between patient and doctor must not be abused by the doctor establishing any type of improper or sexual relationship. As stated in the Hippocratic Oath:

Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations, with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves.

This prohibition has been widely restated in recent times and is enforced by the threat of suspension or removal of the name of the doctor from the medical register if found guilty of such unprofessional conduct [2–6]. For example, the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria states: ‘It is always wrong for a doctor and a patient to enter into a sexual or an improper emotional relationship. It is also wrong for a doctor to enter into a relationship with a former patient or a close relative of a patient, if this breaches the trust the patient placed in the doctor’. Despite this clear prohibition, there is considerable evidence from North America, Europe and Australia that sexual boundary violations remain a problem [7–11].

This chapter defines sexual misconduct and summarises what is known of the incidence of sexual misconduct. It discusses the apparent causes of boundary violations, emphasising the psychological dynamics for the patient/complainant, who is usually female, and the doctor, who is usually male.

Type
Chapter
Information
Good Medical Practice
Professionalism, Ethics and Law
 , pp. 156 - 168
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

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