# Would this be unethical for a physician?



## msjhord (Dec 1, 2016)

Situation:

You're an intern and, during your NICU rotation, one of your first cases out of the gate is that of a very premature infant born via emergency c-section who dies under your care.  Not because of anything you've done/not done, but because she was born just way too early.  

Fast forward "x" years.  Again, this child is *no longer* your patient.  Life reunites you with this child's (single) father, and the only other survivor of the car accident that killed her mother.  You meet, he remembers you and the care and compassion you showed for his daughter, knowing that she lived as long as she did (just a few days) because of you.  You two become friends, the friendship becomes more than that and you become romantically involved with this guy.

So:  would this be considered unethical behavior for a physician, considering his daughter was her patient at one time?  and what if, because of recently suffering a tragedy of her own, she's having second thoughts of returning to practice at all?  would that impact her decision on the ethical/unethical side of things?


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## Ptolemy (Dec 1, 2016)

I guess it's technically morally wrong but from a profession standpoint of unethical it's not. I mean it's been years right? I mean she was an infant and she wasn't the one who killed her, she was a premature birth. If your thinking it would get her out of her profession it would hardly happen. This scenario has happened before in the history of medicine, I'm sure of it. Like it would maybe dig at me once at a while but nothing serious. 

It's hardly professionally unethical, she should be able to pursue her relationships openly to be honest, moral or not. He respects the compassion she did for someone he loved, even if it was for a few days, and they spark a relationship from something horrible. It's a natural case (see literally every love story ever, there is usually a tragedy that pushes the love plot)


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## Phil Istine (Dec 2, 2016)

I see nothing unethical with this.


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## Bloggsworth (Dec 2, 2016)

No.


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## Schrody (Dec 2, 2016)

msjhord said:


> Situation:
> 
> Fast forward "x" years.  Again, this child is *no longer* your patient.



How can the child be his/hers patients if its dead? Do you mean the child's mother?


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## msjhord (Dec 2, 2016)

Nope.  Just reiterating the fact that this patient (the infant) is no longer under the physician's care because she's long since died.


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## Schrody (Dec 2, 2016)

I know what you meant, I just wanted for you to see that it's not necessary to say that the infant is not long a patient of his/hers, especially not when you pointed out in the first sentences that it died. It might confuse the readers.


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## msjhord (Dec 2, 2016)

Gotcha.  Sorry for the confusion.


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## msjhord (Dec 2, 2016)

Update:  Bloggsworth and Phil are right, per my son's pediatrician, who got back with me today.  I'd asked him and then posted here.  No ethical/moral dilemma whatsoever.  Thanks to all for their input.  Schrody, I'm a little thick sometimes.  Especially when I'm so tired and maxed out energywise.


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## Ptolemy (Dec 2, 2016)

msjhord said:


> Update:  Bloggsworth and Phil are right, per my son's pediatrician, who got back with me today.  I'd asked him and then posted here.  No ethical/moral dilemma whatsoever.  Thanks to all for their input.  Schrody, I'm a little thick sometimes.  Especially when I'm so tired and maxed out energywise.


You asked your physician about if it was okay to have a relationship with a patient? You must have really wanted an answer.


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## msjhord (Dec 2, 2016)

Of course, I prefaced it with the fact that I'm working on a writing project and it was a key piece of information I needed. That way things wouldn't be awkward on our next visit.


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## Schrody (Dec 3, 2016)

msjhord said:


> Schrody, I'm a little thick sometimes.  Especially when I'm so tired and maxed out energywise.



Ugh, join the club!


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## msjhord (Dec 3, 2016)

I work at the nation's largest retailer and it's Christmas season.  I'm living for the first of the year when my working hours start to go waaaaay down.  It'll hurt a little economically, but my writing time will increase.  That will make me happy.


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## msjhord (Dec 4, 2016)

Just realized this whole thing isn't going to work in my story.  Timeline issues in spades.  Oh well!


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## Phil Istine (Dec 4, 2016)

msjhord said:


> Of course, I prefaced it with the fact that I'm working on a writing project and it was a key piece of information I needed. That way things wouldn't be awkward on our next visit.



Just as well really as he/she might have thought you were angling for a relationship


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## msjhord (Dec 5, 2016)

Yeah, I didn't want him to think things were getting weird over here.  He's a good pediatrician, and they're hard to find.


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