Treating doctor–patients and work colleagues: a need for some international principles

The treatment of one’s self, family, and colleagues and being a physician–patient are aspects of clinical practice that are often not taught in medical schools or during residency training.1 All over the world, physicians may treat their friends or family members.2 However, in several countries, including ones in the Middle East, hospitals have established on-site primary care clinics wherein physicians treat the hospital’s employees and their family members. For those of us who previously worked in the UK, this is an issue that we rarely ever came across as each employee would have their own designated primary care clinician at a different health centre. All four of us work in a hospital that has a staff clinic. Running a staff clinic and treating (medical and non-medical) work colleagues and their family members is a privilege but some physicians may feel trepidation, especially when treating another doctor. Concerns include whether they are being judged, whether they are good enough, or what might happen if they miss a diagnosis or make a mistake.3 We suggest that seeing colleagues also presents the following ethical and practical challenges: