Should a doctor be banished from medicine after having sex with a patient?

February 16, 2009

That’s a question this case in the UK is trying the answer.

As Dr. Crippen, the crusty blogger who notes the inanities of the UK medical system, notes, extra-martial affairs are commonplace.

But should a physician be censured, effectively ending his medical career, for having a dangerous liaison?

“If every man and women in Britain who had an extra-marital affair were to be prevented from working,” writes Dr. Crippen, “the country would grind to a halt. Why should it be any different for doctors?”

It seems that ending a career over such an indiscretion may be on the excessive side.

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Tagged as: patient

{ 9 comments }

1 Anonymous February 16, 2009 at 5:30 pm: There seem to be two distinct questions:

1. Should a doctor be punished for having an extra-marital affair?

2. Should a doctor be punished for having a sexual relationship with a patient?

These are two very different questions. To the first, I agree with Dr. Crippen that physicians should not be held to a higher standard of fidelity than the general public. However, the question of a sexual relationship with a patient is more complicated. While I’m not convinced that it is unequivocally inappropriate to have a sexual relationship with a patient, the nature of the doctor-patient relationship makes it considerably more questionable.
2 Bad Medicine, Good Solutions February 16, 2009 at 6:57 pm: Any sex with a patient is wrong. Yanking his license should be a no brainer – just do it. The issue is not about having an affair, it is about urinating on the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship which is asexual.
3 Rishi February 16, 2009 at 7:58 pm: I agree with both the previous commenters. The type of relationship between a doctor and his/her patient is rooted in strict professionalism. If we start letting a handful of doctors engage in the aforementioned acts without severe punishment, we’ll introduce an irreparable crack which will ultimately destroy the credibility/honor of physicians.
4 SarahW February 16, 2009 at 8:23 pm: Good lord.
An “extramarital affair”? As if the concern about the physician having sexual relationship with a patient is one of mere infidelity or sexual incontinence?

How utterly dishonest.
5 Anonymous February 16, 2009 at 9:13 pm: Unless the doctor acted inappropriately and unconsenting, I don’t think the medical board will do anything about it.

There are plenty of doctors out there who are having affairs and think no one knows. If people around them start “spilling the beans”, they will be very uncomfortable.
6 Michael Rack, MD February 16, 2009 at 10:48 pm: Looking at the linked article, it appears that the doctor had sex with his receptionist, and that the the receptionist’s husband was his patient.
7 Mehmet February 17, 2009 at 4:05 am: Having an affair with a patient represents a lack or work ethic and moral weakness. Therefore it can be grounds for revoking one’s license.

Having an extramarital affair with somebody who is not your patient, however, is an entirely different story and I don’t think it is grounds for dismissal from the profession in the UK or anywhere else.
8 Supremacy Claus February 17, 2009 at 9:41 am: An appellate court said, no.

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1088439688811
9 Rogue Medic February 17, 2009 at 11:11 pm: Don’t lawyers have a similar standard, due to the privileged nature of the work?