Standards of Care and Professional Conduct
The standard
The standard of care is what a reasonably competent optometrist with similar training would do in similar circumstances. It is not the best possible care and not merely what is customary in one office. Board rules and statutes set minimum conduct; civil negligence is a separate question.
Professional conduct
- Obtain and document informed consent for diagnosis and treatment, especially invasive or risky procedures.
- Maintain confidentiality except where law requires or permits release.
- Do not abandon a patient. Ending a relationship requires notice, records, and enough time for transfer.
- Do not practice while impaired; do not aid unlicensed practice; supervise assistants within Board rules.
- Avoid sexual or exploitative relationships with patients; avoid fraud in billing and records.
- Report required events to the Board as rules specify; cooperate with investigations.
- Advertising and fee practices must be honest.
Worked example
An OD plans to dismiss a patient who repeatedly misses appointments and is abusive. A proper dismissal sends written notice, offers records to a new provider, and allows a reasonable transition. Refusing to see the patient immediately without notice can look like abandonment, especially if an urgent problem arises.
Traps that cost marks
- Confusing “standard of care” with “best care” or “what I was taught.”
- Thinking a patient’s rudeness removes all duties; document and terminate properly.
- Delegating a procedure to an unlicensed assistant.
- Assuming confidentiality ends at death or that every release is valid.