Beware of patients bearing gifts
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- Published: Friday, 27 December 2013 10:32
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Dentists are urged to beware of patients bearing gifts this Christmas says dental defence organisation MDDUS. Dental adviser Doug Hamilton warns there are ethical dilemmas for dentists to consider before a patient’s kind gesture should be accepted. MDDUS members have enquired as to whether accepting even the most mundane gift could breach the following guidance in the new GDC Standards.
“Positive feedback from our patients, perhaps in the form of a compliment or expression of gratitude, is always welcome,” says Hamilton. “It makes us feel valued, reassures us that we are ‘getting it right’ and helps cement the mutually respectful patient-dentist relationship. As Christmas approaches, it may be that certain patients will wish to convey their gratitude in the form of a gift. Normally, this would comprise of nothing more than a box of biscuits or a bottle of wine. All things being equal, it seems unlikely that a gesture of this nature would ever be regarded as anything more than an act of kindness.”
The new GDC Standards says: ‘You must refuse any gifts, payment or hospitality if accepting them could affect, or could appear to affect, your professional judgement.’ Hamilton explains: “This advice is notable for two principle reasons. Firstly, it fails to define any limit below which a gift would be so innocuous that its acceptance would never be in breach. Secondly, it provides for highly subjective analysis by a third party. You may be completely satisfied that a gift from your patient will have no influence over your clinical or personal decisions. Yet, others may think differently.
“Potentially, this is a little minefield, and it should be made clear to any gift-giver that their gesture will not impact the care you provide. The problem could most obviously be circumvented by a practice policy which states that gifts cannot be accepted. While this, at least, cannot leave any patient feeling upset because their particular gift has been declined, it does entail the refusal of, for example, a box of chocolates, which may itself cause offence.
“Therefore, refusal of very low value items would, in most cases, probably be excessively cautious and may create as many problems as it solves. At the other end of the scale, the acceptance of high value items or monetary gifts of any amount would be considered inappropriate by the GDC. It might even attract interest from HMRC.”
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