Too much, too soon: Doctor suspended for having sex with patient who asked him out

A Calgary doctor has been suspended for six months for having sexual intercourse with a patient who pursued him on Instagram. Dr. Regan Taylor pleaded guilty to professional misconduct and has been ordered to pay 75% of hearing costs and to complete a professional boundaries course at his own expense. An expert who evaluated the case for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta’s hearing tribunal had concluded that while Dr. Taylor’s behaviour was an error in judgement, “the relationship did not appear to rise to the level of a boundary violation under the standard that existed at the time.” However, the hearing tribunal disagreed with this analysis and considered it a “side issue” in light of Dr. Taylor’s admission of guilt. Read: Docs dating The case stems from encounters with a patient Dr. Taylor saw once in May 2016 for episodic care. According to the decision document, the patient had come in to have an intrauterine device removed and, following this procedure, Dr. Taylor took a tissue sample for a pap smear test and also ordered a test for sexually transmitted infections. Dr. Taylor called the patient four days later to inform her the STI test results were negative. Shortly after, the patient contacted Dr. Taylor through Instagram and asked him out for a drink. Dr. Taylor advised the patient that if they met socially he would not be able to see her again as her doctor. According to the decision document, the patient, who already had a family physician, did not consider this problematic. The two met and had sexual intercourse on June 10, about two-and-a-half weeks after Dr. Taylor had called the patient about her STI test results and just two days after he had last reviewed the patient’s health records. “Although (the patient) had only seen Dr. Taylor for episodic care and there was no continuing care, (she) was in a vulnerable position as she had just received care from Dr. Taylor approximately three to four weeks earlier and had just spoken to him by phone to get her test results approximately two weeks earlier,” wrote the hearing tribunal. “While Dr. Taylor stated he could not see again after the social encounter, this did not negate the influence that his previous care had, particularly care that was provided so close in time.” Read: College policies in the #MeToo era The period between the care provided by Dr. Taylor and his sexual encounter with a patient he considered to be no longer under his care was “very short and did not amount to an appropriate period of time,” the tribunal added, noting that Dr. Taylor had provided “sensitive care” which involved intimate information. The tribunal referred to information from the patient, who had initiated the complaint, about the impact of Dr. Taylor’s conduct and how “she was left in a difficult situation.” The tribunal also noted that Dr. Taylor’s licence could have been cancelled had his actions occurred after April 2019, when a new law brought in significant and mandatory penalties for sexual abuse and sexual misconduct by healthcare professionals. “The hearing tribunal finds that Dr. Taylor’s behaviour is a clear sexual boundary violation and breach of the CPSA’s Standard of Practice,” wrote the tribunal. “It was not simply an error in judgment. Any boundary violation with a patient is serious given the power imbalance and the risk of harm to a patient.” Read: Quebec FP sanctioned for having an affair with a patient

Too much, too soon: Doctor suspended for having sex with patient who asked him out

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