Professional boundary violations in primary care

Abstract

As medical professionals in primary care are faced with an ever-increasing number of patients, it has become vital to understand how to maintain professionalism. Often serious violations of professional boundaries stem from minor crossings that are commonly seen in medical practice. However, doctors are often unaware of the relationship between innocent crossings and irremediable violations, which makes them unable to identify their own unprofessional behaviour. This paper aims to concisely explore the current theories around the development of boundary violations. It looks at the formation of dual relationships in clinical practice and the current guidelines by the General Medical Council and medical defence bodies around professional boundaries. This article thus aims to provide GPs with an understanding of common features encountered in cases of violations of boundaries in primary care, because the ability to identify violations early on is paramount to protect patients’ safety.