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It is essential that doctors adhere to very strict professional boundaries to ensure that patients feel confident and safe when seeking medical care. Maintaining appropriate professional boundaries facilitates trust in the medical profession, promotes patient care and protects both doctors and patients.  

The AMA’s Guidelines on Maintaining Clear Sexual Boundaries Between Doctors and Patients and the Conduct of Patient Examinations 2019 have been written to assist doctors to fulfil their ethical and professional obligations towards patients in terms of upholding professional boundaries and carrying out patient examinations. 

The Guidelines have been written to be consistent with the Medical Board of Australia’s Guidelines: Sexual Boundaries in the Doctor-Patient Relationship.

Learning Outcomes

1. Define sexual boundaries, practicing self-awareness of own behaviours to maintain appropriate boundaries
2. Name situations and circumstances where consent may be implied, verbal, or written    
3. Explain in what way the environment in which an examination takes place will determine what privacy measures can reasonably be taken
4. List reasons why terminology used in relation to chaperones, observers, and support persons have been updated to be consistent with the updated MBA guidelines.

Details

Topics

• Professional boundaries
• Maintaining appropriate sexual boundaries with patients
• Patient examination