Supporting registrars to manage patient boundaries

Date/Time
Date - 02/08/2017
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Medical practices should be a safe place for both staff and patients.

The first part of the webinar will focus on helping GP registrars identify and manage inappropriate patient behaviour and requests, including drug-seeking and sexual harassment.  A study published in the MJA in 2013 found that 55% of Australian female GPs had been sexually harassed by patients and 65% been asked for inappropriate examination. It was stated that less than 7 per cent of the GPs surveyed said they had been trained on how to deal with sexual harassment by a patient.

We will then look at the risks of dual relationships and why GP registrars are particularly vulnerable. The Medical Board of Australia says practitioners should “avoid providing medical care to anyone with whom you have a close personal relationship”: due to “….lack of objectivity, possible discontinuity of care, and risks to the doctor and patient”. Interactive fictional case scenarios around treating family, friends and staff members will be discussed, and opinions sought using interactive polling.

Link to register