Referrals – practitioner, patient & specialist obligations
Loading...
Date
2016
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
South African Dental Association
Abstract
The profession of dentistry has both benevolent and
protective aspects with regards to duty of care to patients,
to always try to do the best for the patients and to fulfill the
principle of non-maleficence –to do no harm. This principle
expresses the concept that professionals have a duty to
protect the patient from harm. Under this principle, the
dentist’s primary obligations include keeping knowledge
and skills current, knowing one’s own limitations and when
to refer to a specialist or other professional. All dentists,
whether generalists or specialists, have both legal and
ethical responsibilities to their patients – legally they need
to exercise reasonable skill and care and ethically they are
obligated to always put the best interests of the patients first
(above personal or professional interests) and to carry out
treatment to the standard of care set by the profession.
Description
Keywords
Interests of the patients, Treatment, Referral
Citation
Naidoo, S. (2016). Referrals – practitioner, patient & specialist obligations. South African Dental Journal, 71(2): 82 - p84