Is this a generally unwise thing to do? Giving gifts to patients, whether it is small like a piece of candy, or large like sending flowers. Is this something not generally accepted in the health care positions, or any positions in any career? We all know about teachers accepting apples from students and that has never been generally frowned upon so why the difference when healthcare is involved?
Or doing favors for patients such as a patient being admitted to a facility and has no way to contact their family because their phone is off and needs a phone card but is not allowed to leave the facility.
They have the money but just need someone to run and get it.
--Or they need to borrow your phone to make a quick call.
--Or rather would like you to run and get a meal for them from a restaurant with their own money.
It is not like giving a gift but rather doing a favor for a patient that is not necessarily in your line of care but is done out of friendship.
Is this behavior is not acceptable, under which guidelines is it? Maybe only when you are on break or off duty? Or is this still too questionable?
What are proper friendship limits in patient/practitioner relationships?
Does it mater if gender differences play a role in it?
If none of the above is acceptable, how much time should pass after a patient is dc'd before a friendship or personal relationship can be pursued?
It seems in healthcare so many practitioners become hardhearted to individuals situations. Some have issues but don't really need medicine, but care and compassion from a friend. If a practitioner cannot be a friend, it is hard for there to be complete healing, especially if said patient has no support system outside. Sometimes the practitioners are all the patient has. And sometimes these patients are really distressed and cant do a thing about it because it is "outside of everyone's scope of practice".
