Guidance aimed at supporting doctors and medical students to navigate self-expression of personal beliefs, in the context of professional standards, has been launched by the BMA.
Published today the framework provides guidance to doctors and medical students on their rights to free expression and how actions and behaviours relating to personal beliefs must be understood within the context of personal or professional settings.
While making clear the fundamental right held by every individual to freedom of expression, the guidance sets out the responsibility of doctors and students to consider how expression of their personal beliefs could affect the doctor-patient relationship.
The guidance also seeks to give best-practice guidance to employers and medical schools looking to develop or amend their own guidelines relating to freedom of expression.
These include the need to develop clear and specific policies, provision of training on free expression in relation to professional boundaries and ethical conduct and ensure workplaces and training environments where diverse views can be expressed responsibly.
Voice and opinion
The guidance has been developed in response to the concerns of BMA members regarding scenarios such as expressing personal opinions about current events to promoting a particular political party or wearing religious symbols while in a professional setting.
In its introduction, the BMA’s guidance acknowledges there is often a lack of clarity around rights, responsibilities and risks concerning expression of beliefs but that understanding these issues is vital for doctors and their patients.
It says: ‘It is not always clear when exercising freedom of expression will contravene professional and ethical standards. This is particularly important in the context of healthcare, where patient safety and public trust are paramount.
‘While everyone has the right to hold personal views, even if others may find them offensive, there are certain limits on when and how these views can be expressed. For doctors, additional responsibilities and considerations also apply, such as standards set by regulators of the medical profession.’
The BMA’s publication of the guidance framework comes amid a consultation by the GMC over plans by the regulator to update its personal beliefs and medical practice guidance, which is set to conclude on 11 June.
Patient influence
Proposed updates to the GMC guidance, which has remained unchanged since 2013 and will apply to all doctors and medical students, will outline how doctors can practise in line with their personal beliefs while maintaining professional standards and care to patients.
The revised terms of the regulator’s guidance will place a greater emphasis on interactions with patients and how their beliefs and values can influence their priorities or choices regarding their treatment and care.
It will also focus on doctors’ own beliefs and how expression of these must not be imposed on patients or breach professional boundaries.