A physician must terminate the patient-physician relationship before initiating a dating, romantic, or sexual relationship with a patient. Likewise, sexual or romantic relationships between a physician and a former patient may be unduly influenced by the previous physician-patient relationship.

Why doctors should not lie to patients?

Although deception in medicine is generally wrong, as it tends to undermine patients autonomy and erode the trust between doctor and patient, the ethical duty to be honest is not absolute.

Do doctors hug patients?

“In a clinical exam, patients consent to being touched. They havent consented to any other intimate contact, however,” Reese writes. “Although some patients might welcome a hug, others might consider it an invasion of their personal space or a sign of attraction.