In recent times, the Medical Council has dealt with numerous cases involving doctors either treating themselves or those close to them, such as friends and family. Reflecting on these cases, The Medical Council published a revised ‘Treating yourself and those close to you’ statement in October.
The key changes relate to:
Allowances made for one-off management of minor ailments
Accommodating the challenges faced by doctors in rural, remote and under serviced communities
Emergency situations
Medicus is supportive of this change, as it felt previous statements were overly restrictive. The revised statement takes a more reasonable approach while still recognising the appropriate obligations required by doctors.
For example, you must be cognisant that your clinical objectivity may be compromised. If a situation arises where there is no alternative but to treat yourself or those close to you, you must provide best practice care consistent with what any other patient would receive, and you must inform the patient’s usual GP or healthcare provider (with the patient’s consent).
The statement also provides clear direction on situations in which you must not treat yourself and those close to you. These include issuing medical certificates, performing complex procedures and prescribing controlled drugs.
The full statement can be found here:
Medicus encourages you to take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the statement. It takes a common sense approach, and by following the Medical Council’s guidance you will be able to continue practicing safely without fear of a complaint.
Dr Andrew Dunn
General Practitioner
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