Ethics question - patient friendship

[poleOFbean]

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I'll start off with two disclosures. First, I'm not a physician. I'm in my late 20's, and am research coordinator at an academic hospital, with my application in to medical schools. Second, I realize I'm likely being overly paranoid. I just want to make sure I'm not making a stupid decision that will screw my future over.

I have a patient in his 60s/70s whom I've seen in clinic for around a year while he's on a clinical trial. I see him and his wife about once a week, so naturally we get talking. Come to find out, we're both actually from the same area (about 1,200 miles away), and are actually both going to be in the same area over the labor-day holiday. Actually, I'll be headed to a wedding about 1.5 miles away from where he owns a lake house.

The patient and his wife invited me to drop by before the wedding for a cup of coffee. I told him I'll likely be carpooling to the wedding with either family or friends, and the patient told me to bring them along.

So, I feel inclined to accept the invitation. Odds are that I will be there for less than an hour, and he understood that other people will be with me (obviously I won't give my friends/family his medical history, other than acknowledging he's a patient. I feel that him inviting my family/friends allows me to disclose that he is a patient, but that's it).

Does anyone feel that this would be unacceptable?

 

[Bartelby]

I think it's fine. Unacceptable things tend to be situations in which you gain (sexually, romantically, monetarily, favoritism for valuable services, etc). I think paying a patient a visit as a friend is great as long as it does not end up intruding on your life or theirs in an unwanted way.

If I am way off on this answer hopefully someone with a stronger ethics background will chime in.

 

[poleOFbean]

Thanks for the input!

 

[NotAProgDirector]

It's totally fine.

 

[Top Gun]

I'll start off with two disclosures. First, I'm not a physician. I'm in my late 20's, and am research coordinator at an academic hospital, with my application in to medical schools. Second, I realize I'm likely being overly paranoid. I just want to make sure I'm not making a stupid decision that will screw my future over.

I have a patient in his 60s/70s whom I've seen in clinic for around a year while he's on a clinical trial. I see him and his wife about once a week, so naturally we get talking. Come to find out, we're both actually from the same area (about 1,200 miles away), and are actually both going to be in the same area over the labor-day holiday. Actually, I'll be headed to a wedding about 1.5 miles away from where he owns a lake house.

The patient and his wife invited me to drop by before the wedding for a cup of coffee. I told him I'll likely be carpooling to the wedding with either family or friends, and the patient told me to bring them along.

So, I feel inclined to accept the invitation. Odds are that I will be there for less than an hour, and he understood that other people will be with me (obviously I won't give my friends/family his medical history, other than acknowledging he's a patient. I feel that him inviting my family/friends allows me to disclose that he is a patient, but that's it).

Does anyone feel that this would be unacceptable?

Go ahead and visit him. Its perfectly fine.

 

[mlw03]

Don't see any issue with what you wish to do. Sounds nice actually.

 

[Rendar5]

It's fine. Go have some fun.