Disciplinary panel rules that doctor who showed patients naked picture of himself committed sexual abuse

Toronto - An independent disciplinary panel has found that a Georgetown, Ont. doctor sexually abused 11 female patients by showing them naked pictures of himself.The Toronto Star reported that Dr. Nigel Mark Phipps had admitted to showing patients naked (and seminaked) selfies on his cellphone, and agreed it constituted professional misconduct. But he disputed the charge that this constituted sexual abuse.The disciplinary panel has since ruled against him.Apart from the photos, the panel also found that Dr. Phipps conducted two patient visits with an erection and touched one of the patients with the erection through his clothing.“Physicians must establish and maintain appropriate professional boundaries with patients or the professional relationship is jeopardized and patients are at risk of great harm,” the committee ruled, according to the Star. “Violations of such boundaries, particularly of a sexual nature, can engender in patients a loss of trust in the physician and in the health professions and feelings of betrayal, victimization, anger, shame and guilt.”Last year, Dr. Phipps, who is 57 said of the pictures that he thought his patients "would think what I thought...(that) it was humorous, innocuous." Dr. Phipps' penis is visible in one of the pictures, which was filed as an exhibit in the disciplinary hearing, and his buttocks were visible in another.“Dr. Phipps asserted consistently that his intention was to relate a story that was humorous and mutually embarrassing, and with which everyone ‘would be fine,’” the panel wrote in its decision. “The committee, however, could not understand why Dr. Phipps would find showing a naked photo of himself to his patients humorous or why he would want to embarrass his patients.”A number of patients testified they felt embarrassed, violated, and confused when their doctor showed them the photos in the examination room. “A strong yuck factor,” was how one patient put it in an agreed statement of facts filed at the hearing.The panel also found that Dr. Phipps' behaviour was sexual in nature, rather than humorous given that, in one of the photos he appeared to have a partial erection. He also made comments to the patients to the effect of "I've seen yours, now you've seen mine."The penalty hearing for Dr. Phipps has yet to be scheduled and until it does Dr. Phipps remains licenced to practise. He cannot however see female patients unless accompanied by another healthcare provider, per a 2015 stipulation.

Disciplinary panel rules that doctor who showed patients naked picture of himself committed sexual abuse

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