The steak dinner--a professional boundary crossing.

Abstract

Maintaining professional boundaries enables clinicians to keep their patients' best interests in mind. Palliative care clinicians may be at risk for professional boundary crossings because of the intimate nature of caring for people with life-threatening illnesses. In some instances, boundary crossings can be beneficial to the patient, but must be considered thoughtfully and with trusted others. We describe the case of a primary care physician and clinic nurse who were asked by a long-time clinic patient, who was now terminally ill, to join him for a steak dinner. We discuss the approach that the physician and nurse took in deciding about whether the boundary crossing was ethically permissible. We also offer sample questions for palliative care clinicians to consider when thinking about their actions.