Interferring with relationships

A lot of people meet others through work... if you come in to contact with some one, such as a customer or employee of another company and you click with them then you might ask them out somewhere yes?

Well I was wondering if anyone knew whether being a doctor interferred with your "love life" so to speak, because of the patient-doctor rules or whatever.

Would just going for a drink with a patient be against the rules?

This is quite tongue-in-cheek, I appreciate the rules are there for good reasons!! But the general curiosity behind my post is quite serious :smile:

Reply 1

Johnny C.

I don't know the exact rules, but I'm fairly certain going for a drink with a patient (as if on a date) is not acceptable...

I think doctors are expected to look elsewhere for relationships or to each other... 50% of doctors are married to doctors :smile:

Reply 2

randdom

TBH I am not really sure, I haven't come accross doctors dating patients but I am sure it must happen. I think the rule is that you are not meant to date someone that you are currently treating.

Reply 3

graemematt

randdom

TBH I am not really sure, I haven't come accross doctors dating patients but I am sure it must happen. I think the rule is that you are not meant to date someone that you are currently treating.

That sounds fairly accurate. Here's hoping I don't have to treat Maria Sharapova someday then :biggrin:

Reply 4

Fluffy

The 'rules' are really fuzzy, but generally the best course of action (if you do not want to be up against the GMC) is to play it safe.

Just say no, kids!

If the patient turns to out to be an A1 bunny boiler, he/sher can right royally **** you over if/when it all goes sour and the 'relationship' ends... After all, it's the doctor in the position of responsibility, and will be seen as having the 'power', not the patient...

The GMC goes as far as saying that 'sexual relationships between doctors and former patients are usually inappropriate' (precised in a BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6076904.stm - for the full blurb, see the 2006 revision of the GMC's 'Good Medical Practice':http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/index.asp )

Reply 5

Renal

The 'rules' are really fuzzy, but generally the best course of action (if you do not want to be up against the GMC) is to play it safe.

Just say no, kids!

Just don't get caught.

Although I do wonder why there's the attraction. I've only ever seen one fit punter, then I saw a camera shoved up her arse...

Reply 6

Revenged

Renal

Although I do wonder why there's the attraction. I've only ever seen one fit punter, then I saw a camera shoved up her arse...

lol... i bet you enjoyed it... :p:

Reply 7

Revenged

mlc409

Would just going for a drink with a patient be against the rules?

You should read the NHS "How to date your patient" leaflet published for GPs in 2002... I copied it and pasted it for you...

1) Make sure that you fully explain what you plan to do to the patient before you do it

2) Make sure that you have the patients voluntary, informed consent and that the patient communicates her consent...

3) Ensure that the patient is over 18 otherwise parental permission would be required...

4) Assess a patients competence so that they clearly understand, retains and weighs up information to reach an appropriate conclusion...

5) You are now able to go on a date...

6) Remeber that if you perform any action on a patient without prior consent then you can be charged with battery...

http://www.nice.org.uk/

Reply 8

Johnny C.

Revenged

You should read the NHS "How to date your patient" leaflet published for GPs in 2002... I copied it and pasted it for you...

1) Make sure that you fully explain what you plan to do to the patient before you do it

2) Make sure that you have the patients voluntary, informed and consent patient communicates her consent...

3) Ensure that the patient is over 18 otherwise parental permission would be required...

4) Assess a patients competence so that they clearly understand, retains and weighs up information to reach an appropriate conclusion...

5) You are now able to go on a date...

6) Remeber that if you perform any action on a patient without prior consent then you can be charged with battery...

http://www.nice.org.uk/

ROFLMFAO

Reply 9

Revenged

Johnny C.

ROFLMFAO

It is not meant to be funny... It is a serious leaflet published by the NHS as an active reminder about how GPs should behave if they wish to date their patient...

Reply 10

turkkan

So if youre a surgeon, and you operated on youre patient 5 years ago lets say on her appendix, you could get in trouble if you were to chat her up years after?

Reply 11

mlc409

So if youre a surgeon, and you operated on youre patient 5 years ago lets say on her appendix, you could get in trouble if you were to chat her up years after?

Judging from what's been said I suppose you could but if they either:

a) weren't underage at the time
b) had no mental condition at the time or now

then nobody would really care.

Reply 12

Zafda

if doctors do get together with a patient and have a relationship, that patient will have to be referred to another doctor before the relationship happens.. is that true yeah?

Reply 13

Helenia

Zafda

if doctors do get together with a patient and have a relationship, that patient will have to be referred to another doctor before the relationship happens.. is that true yeah?

Yes, it would be inappropriate to have your regular doctor (whether this is a GP or a specialist) be someone who you have a relationship with.

I think there's a lot of fuzziness - if you use the surgeon example, while there'd be a LOT wrong with him chatting her up (face it, surgeons are nearly all male) when she was still in hospital, but if they happened to meet in a bar 5 years later, nobody would care.

Having said that, I've not met any fit patients yet, and even if I did, I don't think I'd be tempted. I've had female patients asking if male doctors are single though. As for my personal love life, my boyfriend is not a medic and I don't find it a problem. It starts to get crappy if you want to have kids though...