(1) A physician must maintain professional boundaries in any interaction with a patient and must not sexualize any interaction with a patient through conduct including, but not limited to, the following:
- providing inadequate draping,
- failing to provide privacy while the patient is undressing or dressing,
- being judgmental of a patient’s sexual orientation or activities,
- sexualizing comments, gesture or tone of voice,
- requesting details of a sexual history when not medically indicated,
- failing to obtain informed consent for intimate or sensitive examinations,
- using unorthodox examination techniques including inappropriate touching of the breasts, genitalia, or anus,
- sexualizing body contact including frotteurism, kissing, hugging or fondling,
- socializing with a patient in the context of developing an intimate relationship, or
- making physician-patient sexual contact.
(2) Subsection (1) is not a prohibition against hugging in appropriate circumstances but is focused on the sexualization of physical contact with the patient or the patient’s family.
(3) A physician must not:
- initiate any form of sexual advance toward a patient or a person with whom the patient has a significant interdependent relationship such as a parent, child or significant other,
- respond sexually to advances made by a patient,
- terminate a physician-patient relationship in order to pursue a sexual or personal relationship, or
- initiate any form of sexual advance toward a previous patient where there is a risk of "power imbalance" from the previous physician-patient relationship.
(4) In the absence of risk of a continuing power imbalance, a physician must not have any sexual or intimate involvement with the former patient for a period of time after the last physician-patient encounter depending on the nature and extent of the physician-patient relationship.
(5) A physician who has had a psychotherapeutic relationship with a patient must not engage in a sexual or intimate relationship with that patient at any time during or after the conclusion of the psychotherapeutic relationship.
(6) A physician who is uncertain about these obligations should consult the Registrar before entering into a sexual or intimate relationship with a patient or a former patient.
(7) A physician must not enter into a sexual relationship with a learner such as a medical student, other health professional learner, graduate student, resident or fellow while they are responsible for teaching and/or evaluating that learner.
(8) Physicians at all levels of training and position can be involved in teaching and supervision of more junior physicians or learners; therefore, in recognition that relationships may have developed prior to the establishment of a teacher-learner relationship, physicians who find themselves in this position must:
- notify the Department Head of the relationship,
- remove themselves from any teaching or evaluation of the learner, and
- remove themselves from any discussion of the learner's professional conduct or evaluation.
Based on the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta
Adopted 9/12; Affirmed 4/21
