[ad_1]
A chiropractor was found to be failing to meet ethical standards after having a sexual relationship with a patient, Deputy Commissioner for Health and Disability Rose Wall said in a report.
Archive image. Source: istock.com
Wall discovered that the chiropractor violated the Code of Rights of Consumers of Health and Disability Services (the Code) by engaging in a sexual relationship with a patient.
The married woman first went to a chiropractor in 2016. After four months of treatment, a sexual relationship developed between them that lasted two and a half years.
According to the report, the chiropractor continued to treat the woman and her family members during this period.
“The Chiropractic Board Code of Ethics states that chiropractors have a responsibility to be familiar with the Board Code and to adhere to its standards,” the report noted.
“It states that a chiropractor cannot have a sexual relationship with a patient unless that patient is the chiropractor’s spouse or partner.”
Deputy Commissioner Rose Wall believes that the chiropractor’s actions mean that he was “unable to maintain appropriate professional boundaries and meet the ethical standards set forth in the Chiropractic Board’s Code of Ethics.”
“Maintaining professional boundaries is an integral part of health care delivery, and its importance in the provider-consumer relationship cannot be emphasized enough,” Wall said.
“I consider that [the chiropractor’s] his conduct, specifically the fact of entering into a sexual relationship with his patient, did not comply with his professional and ethical obligations and crossed professional limits and ethical standards. “
In his conclusion, Wall recommended that the chiropractor establish a six-month continuing education and mentoring plan with the New Zealand Board of Chiropractic, in relation to its Code of Ethics and with an emphasis on professional boundaries.
It also recommended that the New Zealand Board of Chiropractic consider this complaint and whether further action is warranted.
The chiropractor should be referred to the Director of Procedures.
