A DDU survey found that 11% of dental professionals had concerns about gifts given by patients, including Valentine’s cards and flowers.
The Dental Defence Union (DDU) has reminded dental professionals to speak up about inappropriate advances from patients after one in 10 survey respondents expressed concern. Nine in 10 respondents had received a gift or thank you message from a patient in the past year. Some of these gifts were items such as Valentine’s cards and flowers which the recipients found inappropriate.
Alison Large, a dento-legal adviser at the DDU, stressed that this behaviour is unacceptable. She said: ‘It is not uncommon for dental professionals to be in a situation where they feel uncomfortable because a patient is behaving in an inappropriate way towards them. This can range from suggestive comments and inappropriate gifts or Valentine’s cards to intrusive questions and in some cases, sexual propositions.
‘None of this is acceptable for healthcare professionals to face in the workplace and they should take action to prevent such behaviour from escalating.’
What to do if a patient behaves inappropriately
GDC guidelines urge dental professionals to refuse any gifts that could affect or be seen to affect their professional judgement.
The DDU also advised dental professionals to look out for other signs of a patient overstepping professional boundaries. These might include flirtatious texts, direct messages and calls, or invitations to meet up socially.
If these signs are noticed, the DDU suggested informing the patient that their actions are inappropriate. The union also advised asking them to stop if it can be done safely. If this doesn’t work, dental professionals should seek help by reporting the incident in line with workplace policies.
Finally, the DDU encouraged healthcare professionals to keep a record of what happened and seek support from colleagues. Support can also be provided by a dental defence organisation in such situations.
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