Sexual boundaries GPHC Flashcards
importance of maintaining clear sexual boundaries
- When healthcare professionals cross
personal and professional boundaries the
result for people under their care can be
serious and can cause harm. Crossing
these boundaries can damage public trust
and confidence in the pharmacy profession
and other healthcare professions.
1.2. People receiving care must be able to trust
that pharmacy professionals will act in their
best interests. If pharmacy professionals
are sexually, or inappropriately involved
with a person under their care their
professional judgement can be affected.
This involvement may affect the decisions
that they make about a person’s
healthcare.
what is the power imbalance
The person
receiving care may not know what is
appropriate professional behaviour. They may not be able to judge whether the relationship, or what happens to them, is appropriate. It is the pharmacy
professional’s responsibility to be aware of the imbalance of power and to maintain clear personal and professional boundaries
at all times.
the pharmacy professional must be
-clear the reason for examination
-why you want them to come into consulation room
- give all info
-give oppurtunity to ask q
-consent before entering the consultation room
Sexualised behaviour
and breaches of sexual
boundaries
The PSA
document defines sexualised behaviour as
‘acts, words or behaviour designed to
arouse or gratify sexual impulses or
desires’.
e.g carrying out
an unnecessary physical examination or
asking for details of sexual orientation
when it is not necessary or relevant, would
both be a breach.
There are a number of behaviours that
may be signs of showing sexualised
behaviour towards people receiving care or carers. :
when the healthcare professional
reveals INTIMATE PERSONAL details about themselves to a person under their care during a consultation
- when the reason behind the following
actions is sexual:
− giving or accepting social invitations
(dates and meetings)
− visiting a home of a person under
their care without an appointment
− meeting people under their care
outside of normal practice, for
example arranging appointments
for a time when no other staff are in
the pharmacy, or
− asking questions unrelated to a
person’s health
what should you do in a when you are atttracted to someone?
If a pharmacy professional finds
themselves in a situation where they are
attracted to a person under their care, they
must not act on these feelings. If they have
concerns that this may affect their
professional judgement, or if they are not
sure whether they are abusing their
professional position, they may find it
helpful to discuss this with someone else. They might discuss this with an impartial
colleague, a pharmacy organisation that
represents them, a professional leadership
body or their professional indemnity
insurance provider.
2) If pharmacy professionals cannot continue
to care for the person and be objective,
they should find other care for the person.
They must make sure there is a proper
handover to another pharmacy
professional and that the person receiving
care does not feel that they are in the
wrong as a result of these actions.
what if patient is attracted to you?
There may be situations when people
receiving care or their carers are attracted
to a pharmacy professional. If a person
receiving care shows sexualised behaviour
towards a pharmacy professional, the
pharmacy professional should think about
whether they should discuss the person’s
feelings in a constructive way and try to reestablish a professional relationship. If this
is not possible, they should transfer the
person’s care to another pharmacy
professional. A pharmacy professional may
find it helpful to discuss the matter with a
colleague, a pharmacy organisation that
represents them, a professional leadership
body or their professional indemnity
insurance provider.
cultural and other differences
Cultural differences can affect a person’s
view of their personal boundaries and what
is appropriate. Pharmacy professionals
need to be sensitive to this, and always
treat people receiving care as individuals in
a way that respects their views and
maintains their dignity. For example, an
individual may prefer to talk to or be
examined by a pharmacy professional of
the same gender, or have another person
present.
what is a chaperone?
A chaperone is a person (usually the same
sex as the patient) who is present as a
safeguard for the person receiving care and
the healthcare professional. They are also a
witness to the person’s continuing consent
for the procedure. Their role may vary
depending on the needs of the person, the
pharmacy professional and the
examination or procedure being carried
out.
when carrying out examination
The pharmacy professional should ask the
person receiving care whether they would
like a chaperone to be with them in the
consultation room, and for any
examination that they might consider to be
intimate. The pharmacy professional
should discuss the need for a chaperone
with the person receiving care and should
not guess what their wishes are.
Pharmacy professionals should record any
discussion that they have with a person
receiving care about chaperones, including
when they do not want to have a
chaperone present.
f no chaperone is available, the pharmacy
professional should offer to delay and rearrange the consultation or examination
until one is available (unless a delay is not
making the care of the person their first
priority).
People who have
previously received care
The
previous professional relationship may also
have involved an imbalance of power, and
so would affect any personal relationship. If
this type of relationship develops, the
consequences should be considered and
any harm this may cause to the person.
The impact on the professional standing of
the pharmacy professional should also be
considered. W
. Raising concerns
Pharmacy professionals have a
professional duty to raise concerns if they
believe the actions of other individuals are
putting patients at risk. This would include
when they are concerned that clear sexual
boundaries have not been maintained by
colleagues or other healthcare
professionals. They must also take
appropriate action if others report
concerns to them.
The impact on the professional standing of
the pharmacy professional - people who previously recieved care
The impact on the professional standing of
the pharmacy professional should also be
considered. We advise pharmacy
professionals to consider the following:
* how long the professional relationship
lasted and when it ended
* the nature of the previous professional
relationship and whether it involved a
significant imbalance of power
* whether the person previously under
their care or carer was, or is, vulnerable
* whether the knowledge or influence that
was gained through the professional
relationship is being used to develop or
continue the personal relationship, and
* whether they are already treating, or are
likely to treat, any other members of the
person previously under their care or
carer’s family.
