Pining patients real-life worry

Press, 18 March 1989, Page 18

Pining patients real-life worry

By

MELISSA SWEET

of AAP in Sydney It doesn’t just happen in the soapies — amorous patients are a common occupational hazard for doctors, according to the Medical Defence Union. On the eve of a medical negligence conference in Sydney, an M.D.U. spokesman, Dr John Vallentine, said most older doctors had been besieged at least once by a lovestruck patient. “I think you will find that any doctor who has been in practice for 15 years is likely to have a story to tell of a patient sending him or her flowers,” he said.

“We regularly have doctors ringing us saying they have patients sending them love letters or flowers or poems. “I don’t say it is very common but all doctors are at risk of the problem. “They put the doctor's professional livelihood at grave risk, either because he accepts their approach, which is rare, or because a patient turns around and makes an allegation of some kind.”

Dr Vallentine said the M.D.U., which represents roughly half of Australia’s doctors and is the world’s largest medical defence organisation, handled about a dozen cases each year involving sexual alle-

gations. About half of these had some substance, and about one-quarter involved sexual assault by the practitioner. There were roughly two types of problem patient: those with a genuine affection for the doctor, and those who were neurotic and obsessional.

He said the latter group were the most likely to cause problems, citing the case of a South Australian doctor who had been pursued by a patient for years in spite of Supreme Court injunctions.

Women doctors were as likely to attract propositions as their male colleagues, but less likely to draw the neurotic type of admirer. Dr Vallentine has first hand experience of the problem, arising after he treated a “terribly lonely” 79-year-old woman. “To my horror, she started sending me love letters and they just kept coming and coming,” he said.

Dr Vallentine said many young doctors might not be aware of the possibility and so not forsee the potential for problems arising with some patients. When it did arise, the M.D.U. advised members to terminate their relationship with the patient gently and tactfully.