The doctor-patient relationship is rooted in trust. Patients often present their most vulnerable selves to their physicians with the trust that they will remain respectful and professional at all times. An important part of establishing an atmosphere of trust is maintaining clear professional boundaries with patients. If this trust is compromised it can be damaging to the patient, your reputation, your practice, and the medical community. Not all cases are clear when it comes to avoiding boundary violations. Sure, it is easy to recognize blatant violations such as having sexual relations with a patient, but what about attending a wedding...
Review of Bohn v. Providence Health Services Lawsuit
The Alaska Supreme Court recently interpreted a portion of the Alaska Healthcare Decision Act under Bohn v. Providence Health Services – Washington. While this is the first time the Court has interpreted the HCDA, its decision focused on a single provision of the statute, AS 13.52.080(a)(3). This provision grants immunity to health care providers declining to comply with a person’s health care decision so long as the provider “acts in good faith and in accordance with generally accepted health care standards” and so long as the refusal to comply is “based on a good faith belief that the person then...
As the U.S. slowly recovers from the pandemic and COVID hospitalizations decline, a backlog of surgeries is beginning to clear as facilities resume elective surgical procedures. Over the past year, guidelines for performing elective surgery in the setting of COVID have been available from the American College of Surgeons, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Society of Anesthesiologists, and other national authorities. These recommendations have focused on issues such as: ensuring adequate availability of critical care resources, hospital beds, and personal protective equipment in the setting of the pandemic; minimizing the risk of COVID transmission between patients and healthcare personnel;...
Doctors have the duty to treat patients equally, regardless of their gender, age, race, or medical history. However, research shows that despite best efforts at accomplishing this healthcare providers can unknowingly fall short. The California Legislative Counsel defines implicit bias as meaning the attitudes or internalized stereotypes that affect our perceptions, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner, and often contributes to unequal treatment of people based on race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, and other characteristics. The stark difference that implicit bias has from explicit bias is that you are unaware of the positive or negative attitudes...
Doctors and Social Media: The Influencer Will See You Now?
There are currently 192 million daily active users on Twitter. Facebook enjoys a staggering 1.84 billion daily active users. It is no secret that social media platforms are widely used for both personal and professional purposes, and physicians are no exception. One 2014 survey found that more than 90% of physicians used social media for personal activities and 65% used these sites for professional reasons, numbers that have likely grown in the intervening years. In the professional realm, many physicians use social media to promote their practice, engage with colleagues, and provide trustworthy health education to patients and the general...