An overview of boundary transgressions in the doctor-patient relationship

This paper propounds two main theses. First, it asserts that the boundaries of the doctor-patient relationship are not clearly delineated, but they are clarified by the clarified contexts in which they are formed. Second, there is a need to formulate a set of guidelines that are flexible enough to accommodate ambiguous situations and yet definitive enough to define the limits of the interaction between the doctor and the patient. In order to advance the aforementioned theses, this paper will clarify what boundary transgressions are, how they come about, and how they could avoided.