Final Flashcards
(130 cards)
What 3 things are the professional relationship based on?
- Respect
- Trust
- Professional Intimacy
Why is a professional relationship important?
Essential to ensure patients and clients receive safe, ethical and effective assessment and treatment.
What are the 3 things that can make you a client?
- Has the practitioner charged or received payment for health care services for the individual
- The practitioner has contributed to the health record or file of the individual
- The individual has consented to a health care service recommended by the practitioner.
What is the power dynamic?
- A healthcare worker holds an inherent position of power over patients/clients because of their specialized skills and knowledge, access to personal health information, and the patients’/client’s reliance on the practitioner to improve their condition/provide health services
- Practitioners are responsible for anticipating the boundaries that exist
o Ensure that trust is not betrayed
o Establish clear boundaries - Need to establish these boundaries so that we can make sure personal dignity, privacy, control and professional detachment are really understood
- Boundaries are limits that allow safe and respectful connections between you, your patient and perhaps individuals that are connected within that patients circle of care.
What are the 3 components of a professional relationship?
- Respect & trust
- Professional intimacy
- Power
Explain respect and trust in a professional relationship
- When we speak about respect and trust these are the foundations to a successful professional relationship. All based on what we have evaluated to be a patients physical or emotional needs and we need to make sure the client feels respected and trusts us to be able to deliver the services. Them withholding info from us can be a barrier to treatment.
Explain professional intimacy in a professional relationship
- Intimacy – degree of personal closeness between us and patients and this may not exist in other professional relationships. Due to the volume of time or convos that are had during sessions it’s not the same as dropping taxes off with an accountant and getting them later. Our engagement might actually include touching or physical closeness. They might disclose very personal/private info to us. Really important that we recognize this and respect this.
- Should note that with professional intimacy the intimacy is appropriate in the context of delivering patient centered care or services. Intimacy is not intimacy that would be spoken about in other relationships – e.g., between 2 partners. Never intimacy of a sexual nature.
Explain power in a professional relationship
- The idea of professional intimacy along with our knowledge and expertise all of those things places us in a position of power. Doesn’t matter that this isn’t intended or if treating someone of equal knowledge to you. The second you are in a client/patient relationship a power dynamic automatically exists b/c I am reliant on you to provide care to me in addition to that you have personal info/details and a professional closeness. Provide sensitivity in this area.
- Want to be sensitive to the patient’s subjective impressions even though some boundaries might not be something that we are not uncomfortable with (e.g., being amongst athletes/teams where those boundaries feel a bit more free vs someone you met for the first time – want consent if going to touch them). Each individual in front of you needs to be met with the same level of professional engagement at all times. That power dynamic always exists therefore regardless of that person’s comfort level you want to make sure you are establishing and maintaining those professional boundaries in the way you are presenting yourself and upholding your space within this professional relationship.
What are the performance expectations for professional boundaries?
- Show sensitivity to the power imbalance (real or perceived)
- Establish and manage boundaries
- Refrain from behaviour that could be seen as inappropriate, abusive and/or neglectful
- Refrain from excessive or inappropriate touching of a patient
- Engage in appropriate professional communication
- Respect a patient/client’s rights to reach decisions about treatment and/or services
- Advocate for the patient/client’s best interests
- Demonstrate sensitivity to diversity and adjust boundaries as appropriate
- Refrain from treatment of individuals with whom there is a close personal relationship
- Refrain from engaging in a close personal relationship with a patient/client’s family member
- Refraining from dual relationships
- Educating patient’s/clients and advocates on the professional relationship and protecting them from boundary violations or abuse
What is the definition of a close personal relationship?
Relationship with a person that is characterized by feelings of warmth and familiarity and/or has elements of exclusivity, privacy or intimacy.
What defines a spouse?
A spouse is considered to be a person’s legal spouse under the family law act but a spouse may also be defined as someone a person has lived in a conjugal relationship outside of marriage for not less than 3 years.
What is a duel relationship?
- Refraining from duel relationships means refraining from you seeking services from a patient at the same time as they are seeking services from you for health care purposes. Definition is when a practitioner has a business or personal relationship that is outside of their practice. E.g., your accountant has decided to seek care for low back pain. I should not be treating him b/c I see him for services and therefore this would be an inappropriate professional relationship.
What is abuse?
The misuse of the power imbalance existing in the professional relationship and a manipulation of the core elements of the relationships- trust, respect, and professional intimacy, when the practitioner knew, or ought to have known, that their behaviour would cause harm.
- Abuse can be verbal, financial, sexual, emotional, physical, neglect (is considered abusive).
What are 3 ways to establish and manage boundaries?
- Professional distance
- Refraining from accepting and giving gifts
- Refraining from inappropriate self-disclosure
- In establishing and maintaining your boundaries having professional distance so you can maintain objectivity as it relates to a patient and their care. The closer you get our objectivity becomes blurred.
What are 2 ways we can engage in appropriate professional communication?
- Communication delivery
- Refrain from voicing personal opinions about values, lifestyle, politics, etc.
Need to be aware of nonverbal communication. Doesn’t mean this is what your intentions are but it’s not about your intentions rather what is perceived.
- Some might say no opinions – she says rather voicing strong personal opinions. This does not necessarily mean you can’t express to someone that you’re a firm believer in taking time for your self and promoting time for yourself as it pertains to maintaining health and wellness. But it depends on how it is presented. Context is key. Need to present info in ways that are meaningful to the patient and if the individual isn’t receptive to the convo then it’s not a convo that is going to be successful.
- If a client perceives you are judging them this will create challenges. Avoid these convos as much as possible but at times it does come up b/c it’s related to health/wellbeing
What is the statement on a personal relationship with a client?
- Close personal relationships can diminish a kinesiologist’s objectivity and can increase a patient’s vulnerability.
- A sexual relationship with a patient/client or their substitute decision maker (SDM) is strictly prohibited and is considered sexual abuse unless the patient is the Kinesiologist’s spouse as per the provisions of the spousal exception regulation adopted by the College.
- Their vulnerability is high – we know them from beyond out professional relationship (know their medical history and them personally). Creates a strong inappropriate power dynamic.
- Best case here is refer.
- UNLESS they are your spouse. Everyone else is problematic. Maintain and establish those boundaries so you aren’t developing feelings for your clients and that they aren’t developing feelings for you. Just refer ppl and avoid this territory.
- This close personal relationship doesn’t recognize unique components of the professional relationships and risks really efficiency of the patient’s health improvement.
What are the rules on dating a client?
- In the event that you are in a relationship with someone who is or was a patient of yours – specifically engaging in a sexual relationship this can’t happen for a minimum of 1 year until the end of your professional relationship. Asterisk beside this statement as well. There is always an inherent power dynamic. The power dynamic may never not exist if you are also their practitioner. While the rules have stipulated a period of 1 year or more there may be times where that power dynamic never leaves and therefore it is never going to be appropriate b/c the power imbalance continues to exist.
- Establish and maintain those boundaries so you don’t get in these circumstances at all. Don’t want to have to worry about if there is or isn’t a power dynamic and how long it would last.
What is treatment and what act is the definition in?
Treatment, is defined in the Health Care Consent Act, 1996 as, anything that is done for a therapeutic, preventive, palliative, diagnostic, cosmetic or other health-related purpose, and includes a course of treatment, plan of treatment or community treatment plan”.
It does not include emergency care or minor, episodic care, such as providing manual therapy to alleviate a tense muscle after a period of exercise on a sporadic basis.
What are the general guidelines on treating family or close personal relationships?
- Exceptional circumstances exist when the benefits of providing treatment outweigh the risks
- The best interests of the patient/client, from their perspective, must always be paramount.
- Only in exceptional circumstances if you do. While you or your intentions to deliver the best possible care as well as clinical objectivity, this is likely to be compromised due to the close personal relationships you have.
- However, it is fully recognized that you might be in a position where this does have to happen. There is a clear guideline about how to do this.
They define treatment in a certain way. Highlights that it is very recognized that you and your family member might come to you and say my back is tight and you give them a massage. This is not sexual abuse. If it continues to go on, if it is paired with concurrent care of them (they are under your care) then it could be. I have a sore muscle from being at the gym does not constitute sexual abuse if you rub their shoulder. This standard was created to identify exception circumstances where benefits of providing treatment to family members or close personal relationships actually outweigh the risks. - Need to recognize that there is always going to be real and inherent risks with someone who you know and have a close personal relationship with. Also real power dynamic concerns. Professional boundaries are blurring when you step into this territory. The therapeutic client relationship is our foundation for safe, ethical, care therefore the very existence of having a close personal relationship with someone can be an issue here.
What are the exceptional circumstances when we can treat family or close personal relationships?
- When there is no similar or viable health care provider that is available. I have fallen down the stairs, herniated a disc in my back, can’t go to work, my spouse is a practitioner, they care for me until I can actually see my regular practitioner. This would fall into exceptional circumstances b/c making me sit there in pain or not being able to function. Those risks are greater than you treating me and there being a power imbalance or a professional relationship boundary being blurred. Not ongoing – at the moment there is no other viable option.
- Need to consider if alternative arrangements can lead to demonstrating financial hardship. This is a very real thing that ppl experience especially at this moment in time (post-covid). Health care is very expensive so this could be something that presents as an exceptional circumstance.
- Consider if the individual is unlikely to seek care from anyone that they don’t know. This one is a little bit less realistic in comparison to the other 2 b/c you supporting referral to a spouse could be less likely. Think about you referring your grandparents and they refuse to go. This could be an exceptional circumstance.
- There is really an actual barrier to a patient accessing health care services. Maybe in the area there is a sig communication barrier so can’t seek care elsewhere. Need to identify these sometimes aren’t isolated and might coexist with each other. These might stop at some point as well. That first point- this isn’t going to be the case for years unless in a completely remote area where you have that personal relationship but are the only 2 around. Likely at some point someone else will become available and at that point need to re-evaluate continuously to see when and where you can move them to an appropriate care provider, so you aren’t blurring the line of the professional and personal relationship.
If it is in the best interest of the patient then this is what we need to do.
In which ways do we need to maintain boundaries with family?
- Professional boundaries
- Consent and capacity
- Fees and billing
- Record keeping
- Mandatory reporting
Speak to the idea of disclosure and explaining the conflict of interest with a family member. Need to make sure that any influence from your personal relationship is not being used to influence your clinical relationship.
- Fees – ties into maintaining boundaries with family. You are explicitly transparent and consistent when doing your fees and billing when it relates to family.
- Record keeping – need to be up to date on it. Just like with all other patients if treating a close personal relationship or family member as it pertains to those exceptions we need to make sure you’re documenting appropriately. Documenting the plan – is this patient always going to be yours? – why or why not. If there is a financial hardship has that financial hardship changed? When are you revisiting these concepts? When are you revisiting if another practitioner is a viable option? Be clear these convos are documented in conjunction with all your other reporting duties.
READ FULL LIST BEFORE FINAL!!!
What constitutes sexual abuse and what is the punishment?
- A sexual relationship with a patient/client who is not the practitioners spouse is considered sexual abuse and subject to mandatory revocation of the certificate of registration for 5 years
- Due to the potential for power imbalances, practitioners should refrain, where possible from becoming socially, romantically, or sexually involved with a patient/client’s close personal relations. This may make the patient/client uncomfortable, or may make patient/client feel that the practitioner is placing their interests ahead of the patient.
- The professional relationship extends to the substitute decision maker
Don’t engage in social relationships with clients.
What policy outlines sexual abuse?
The Health Professions Procedural Code (the Code) of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) outlines acts that constitute sexual abuse
What 3 things constitute sexual abuse?
(a) Sexual intercourse or other forms of physical relations between the member
and the patient/client
(b) Touching of a sexual nature of the patient/client by the member
(c) Behavior or remarks of a sexual nature by the member towards the
patient/client
Very important to understand why treating family members, spouses, close personal relationships can be so problematic.
There are a few exceptions to this – as it pertains to a spouse. READ it!!