/Institutions/Northwestern-Health-Sciences-University/json/2019-2020/Acupuncture-and-Chinese-Medicine-Clinical-Student-Handbook-local.json

/Institutions/Northwestern-Health-Sciences-University/json/2019-2020/Acupuncture-and-Chinese-Medicine-Clinical-Student-Handbook.json

Patient Communication Outside the Treatment Room

From time to time students may need to follow up with patients to learn about treatment efficacy or otherwise learn about the patient’s experience post-treatment. Occasionally a student may call a patient they haven’t seen for a long period of time, and ask if they want to schedule another appointment. These contacts are to be made only with the supervisor’s approval. Do not contact patients for any patient- related care, from any source outside of the clinic space – all contact related to a patient’s care must be done while in the clinic using on-site phones. This does not apply to referring friends or potential patients to call the clinic for an appointment.

While in clinic you may experience working with patients who are also friends, family members, or acquaintances. These “dual roles” occur in our profession and require extra awareness to maintain ethical boundaries, especially in social situations. While in a social setting such as a party or a grocery store, never initiate any interaction regarding the treatment room.