Professional ethics, boundaries, and advertising
Ethics questions test fiduciary conduct and truthful communication, not personal morality. Advertising is regulated because it can mislead patients about credentials, outcomes, and risk.
Core rules
- Maintain professional boundaries: no sexual contact with patients, no exploitation of dependency, and careful management of gifts, social relationships, and social media.
- Avoid conflicts of interest; disclose financial interests that could affect recommendations.
- Advertising must be truthful, not deceptive, and verifiable. Do not guarantee cures or use pain-free promises; do not claim specialty or board certification not actually held.
- Testimonials and before-and-after images need consent and must not imply typical results. Social media posts are advertising and may contain protected health information.
- Report impaired or unethical colleagues through proper channels; do not participate in fee splitting or kickbacks.
Worked example
A clinic advertises as a board-certified neck specialist with 100 percent success. The chiropractor has no board specialty and cannot substantiate the success rate. The ad violates truthful-advertising rules even if individual patients improved. The corrective ad should state actual licensure, avoid guarantees, and use only permitted credentials.
Traps
- Using doctor in a way that implies medical licensure.
- Posting a patient photo without written authorization.
- Thinking a disclaimer cures a deceptive headline.
- Dating a former patient too soon after termination; check the rule's timeframe.