A curriculum on physician-patient sexual misconduct and teacher-learner mistreatment. Part 1: content

Although health care professionals, licensing bodies, governments and the community are paying increasing attention to the negative consequences of sexual misconduct by physicians, education for professionals about this subject is rare and limited. Even less attention has been paid to the adverse effects of violations of boundaries between teachers and learners (students, residents, interns and other trainees). A curriculum now being used at the University of Toronto to teach faculty and students about these topics includes a didactic portion and a workshop component. The didactic portion consists of lectures on the definitions, causes and consequences of physician-patient sexual misconduct and teacher-learner mistreatment and harassment. Relationships after termination of treatment and the complaint and discipline procedures of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario are also discussed. This article reviews the topics covered in this portion of the curriculum. A subsequent article will discuss the workshop component of the course.