GP suspended for friendship with ‘soulmate’ patient
A tribunal said the case was a 'salient' reminder that any boundary violation could have significant adverse consequences
A GP who struck a friendship with a patient she later described as a soulmate has been suspended for three months.
They first met in 1996 while she was working at an Aboriginal health service in North Queensland.
The GP developed a good rapport with the patient, but according to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, the therapeutic boundaries soon became “slightly blurred”, with the doctor at one point visiting him while on maternity leave to show him her baby.
They only had occasional contact during this time, but their friendship resumed in 2015 when the patient — who had diabetes, PTSD and a dependence on benzodiazepines — booked an appointment at her practice.
