One of the most disconcerting experiences a physician can have is realizing that he or she is strongly attracted to a patient. Many physicians believe they should be above such emotions or that their professional objectivity should neutralize these feelings.
A definite “don't” in any physician's playbook. The problem is that not every patient plays by the rules, and a patient prone to flirtation can create a dicey ethical dilemma for a doctor—or at least make office visits uncomfortable for physicians and staff.
“In a clinical exam, patients consent to being touched. They haven't consented to any other intimate contact, however,” Reese writes. “Although some patients might welcome a hug, others might consider it an invasion of their personal space or a sign of attraction.
Though instances of doctors and patients entering romantic relationships are indeed rare, it does sometimes happen. Physicians sometimes have sexual relationships with patients, or with former patients. Sometimes the initiator is the physician, and sometimes it is the patient.
There's no rule to prevent doctors and patients from texting, but there are best practices. While the Joint Commission currently bans doctors from using text messages to order treatments, there's no such restriction on patients and doctors communicating via texting.
Female physicians and surgeons are most likely to marry male or female physicians and surgeons. Male physicians and surgeons are most likely to marry female physicians and surgeons or male registered nurses.
Nevertheless, most participants (22/25) reported having favorite patients. For many physicians, favorite patients were not necessarily the most compliant patients, or those most similar to them. Instead, favorite patients were often very sick patients and/or those who have known their physicians for a long time.
The American Medical Association's code of ethics suggests doctors fully terminate the physician-patient relationship before pursuing a romantic one.
[4] The presence of red flags indicates the need for investigations and or referral. Essentially red flags are signs and symptoms found in the patient history and clinical examination that may tie a disorder to a serious pathology.
To provide the best care, your doctor must understand you as a person and know what your life is like. The doctor may ask about where you live, what you eat, how you sleep, what you do each day, what activities you enjoy, what your sex life is like, and if you smoke or drink.
Inappropriate Behavior
Belittling or berating statements. Use of profanity or disrespectful language. Inappropriate comments written in the medical record. Deliberate failure of cooperation without good cause.
Hugging should never be mandatory, Vejar says, but providers should recognize how much a hug might mean to patients. “It lets them know that their presence is welcome, that they are valued, that we care about them, and that they are being heard,” she says.
Sometimes doctors and patients meet in the exam room and strike up long-lasting friendships. Other times, doctors take on friends as patients. Some doctors say getting personal enhances care, since providers who know their patients as people are more likely to take a well-rounded, holistic view of their health.
According to the American Medical Association (AMA), doctors need to end their physician-patient relationship before they begin any kind of romance with a patient.
“Physicians are authority figures and thus are in a position to directly influence others. It's not uncommon for patients to feel an attraction to their doctors, or other health care providers, especially when good feelings experienced between the two; where patients feel heard, understood and cared for.”
Inspection of a patient's tongue is an important starting point in the clinical examination to understand the health and state of underlying diseases. The different colours of the tongue give an insight into what the patient is suffering from and also helps to evaluate their condition properly.