Patient Relations Program Standard

The Patient Relations Program Standard helps to protect public safety by providing clear standards and requirements for dealing with misconduct of a sexual nature. 

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Sexual Misconduct includes:

• Sexual intercourse or other forms of physical sexual relations between the registrant and the patient,
• Touching, or a sexual nature, of the patient by the registrant, or
• Behaviour or remarks of a sexual nature by the registrant towards the patient

This does not include touching, behaviour and remarks by the registrants towards the patient that are of a clinical nature appropriate to the service being provided. ]

PATIENT RELATIONS PROGRAM STANDARD

The Standard outlines the responsibilities of pharmacy professionals in relation to:

• Professional boundaries and dual relationships;
• Relationships with former patients; and,
• The duty to report sexual misconduct.

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Legislative Requirements 

The establishment of a patient relations program is a requirement for the College:

• Required under s.16(2)(f) of the Health Professions Act for the purpose of seeking to prevent professional misconduct of a sexual nature.
• It is also noted as a Board requirement under s. 84 of the HPA Bylaws.
• The College’s current Code of Ethics references the “Patient Relations Program” as a companion document in Standard 7(b).

Development of the College’s Patient Relations Program Standard

The College’s Patient Relations Program aims to align with the BC Health Regulators’ (BCHR) “Framework for a Model Patient-Practitioner Relationship Program for BC Health Regulators”. That Framework was approved by the College at their September 2016 meeting.