Alberta doctor cleared of sexual misconduct but sanctioned for failing to respect autonomy of patients

An Alberta physician is facing a four-month suspension and has been ordered to take a course of ethics and boundaries after failing to respect the autonomy of his patients while conducting several sensitive examinations.The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) announced on Tuesday that during a February 2025 hearing, Dr. Neil Skjodt admitted to failing to properly explain to patients why certain exams were being conducted in three separate cases between 2010 and 2015.In the incident that was the subject of the first complaint, which took place on May 13 and Nov. 4, 2015, Dr. Skjodt was found to have failed to explain to the patient why he needed to conduct a pap test and touch the patient’s inner though. In the second incident, which took place on Feb. 28, 2012, Dr. Skjodt was found to have failed to explain and justify the need for breast, pelvic and rectal examinations. In the third incident, which happened on March 9, 2010, Dr. Skjodt had failed to explain why he needed to conduct an exposed chest and exposed flank examination.“The agreement that was reached was an admission of a general allegation in relation to each patient that Dr. Skjodt had failed to provide adequate information to explain and justify to the patient why he was offering a certain screen or to the manner of his physical examination of the patient so that the patients were left feeling vulnerable and that their dignity and autonomy had not been respected,” the tribunal said in its March 2025 decision.The tribunal also heard expert opinions from three doctors, who agreed that the examinations were clinically appropriate. However, the tribunal noted that physicians “need to be more trauma-informed and trauma aware when they are dealing with patients.”“A clinically appropriate examination may be upsetting and traumatizing to a patient if the physician does not have that awareness,” the tribunal said. The college began its investigation after receiving three complaints between 2015 and 2018 against Dr. Skjodt alleging sexual misconduct. However, Dr. Skjodt has not been found guilty of the charge of sexual misconduct. Instead, the college’s hearing turbinal has found him guilty of disrespecting the patients’ dignity and autonomy in contravention of the Canadian Medical Association’s Code of Ethics & Professionalism.Even though the first complaint was brought to the college in 2015, there were delays in scheduling a hearing for the allegations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and due to the fact that the second and third complaint against him were brought up three years later, prompting the college to further investigate whether there was a pattern of misconduct.Because of these delays, Dr. Skjodt brought a motion to the CPSA hearing tribunal in April 2022 to stay the disciplinary proceedings, arguing that “justice delayed is justice denied.” The tribunal dismissed his motion to stay that December. Dr. Skjodt subsequently appealed to the Alberta Court of Appeal, which also dismissed his appeal. After the first complaint, Dr. Skjodt signed an undertaking with the college in 2016 agreeing to only see male patients. Because of this undertaking, the tribunal is considering two months of his four-month suspension as already served. The tribunal also ruled that this practice condition can be lifted if he received an unconditional pass from the CPEP PROBE course. If he fails the course, Dr. Skjodt will be required to take a one-on-one ethical remediation course with a medical ethicist. Dr. Skjodt has also been order to pay $50,000 to cover a portion of the costs of the investigation and hearing.

Alberta doctor cleared of sexual misconduct but sanctioned for failing to respect autonomy of patients

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