CPSO’s Board of Directors has approved the newly titled Professional Obligations: Maintaining Appropriate Boundaries, replacing the former Boundary Violations policy.

The updates reflect CPSO’s ongoing work to ensure expectations around professional boundaries are clear, patient-centred, and aligned with current best practices.

Key updates to the Professional Obligations include: 

• a requirement that physicians inform patients that they may ask to stop an examination at any time, aligned with trauma-informed care principles
• updated obligations for physicians to obtain express consent before proceeding with intimate examinations, aligned with CPSO’s Consent to Treatment policy 

The updated Guidance for the Profession (formerly referred to as “Advice to the Profession”) provides practical advice for navigating and maintaining appropriate boundaries in the physician-patient relationship. Key updates include:  

• an expanded discussion of trauma-informed care, including practical guidance to help physicians support patient autonomy and agency in their day-to-day practice
• updated guidance on third-party attendance during intimate care, including clarification that, in most circumstances, a third party does not need to be a healthcare professional to be considered a suitable third party