Three things doctors do, but know they shouldn't
1. Self-prescribing and treating family and friends
We've all been there. A family member needs a script refill. A neighbour stops you and asks you to 'just have a look'. It feels like a helpful thing to do and often seems awkward to decline. It’s easy to justify: what’s the harm?
But have you seriously reflected on what's happening? There's no proper consultation, no full history, and no documentation. You won't ask the questions you'd ask a stranger, and they won't tell you things they'd tell someone they don't know. The clinical risks of missed diagnoses, inappropriate prescribing and gaps in continuity of care are ones that can seriously compromise patient safety.
The Medical Board's Code of Conduct is clear. Wherever possible, avoid providing medical care to anyone you have a close personal relationship with. One area is non-negotiable: Schedule 8, psychotropic medication and/or drugs of dependence must never be prescribed to those close to you. Self-prescribing is treated the same way. The Board expects that you have your own GP and seek independent advice when you need care.
Disciplinary action for self-prescribing and treating family or friends may not be common, but it does happen. And the consequences can be severe: reprimands, suspension, deregistration. That's a heavy price for doing a favour.
2. Accessing medical records out of curiosity or concern
A colleague is admitted to your hospital. A friend has just had a procedure. A high-profile patient comes through the department and you're curious. You're not going to share the information. You just want to know.
The impulse is understandable, but health information is collected for one purpose only: the care of that patient. Accessing a record without a current clinical need, however well-intentioned, is a potential privacy breach. With electronic medical records (EMRs) everything you view is traceable, and health services are increasingly conducting routine audits, not just investigating high-profile cases. Sanctions that once meant you undertake some training now more often mean a formal reprimand, termination, or an Ahpra referral.
What’s more, patients are now able to pursue a civil compensation claim against someone who accessed their records without justification.
The gap between how often it happens and how often people are caught is narrowing.
If you're concerned about someone, ask the treating team to keep you informed, with the patient's knowledge and consent. It's a small step that keeps you on the right side of the line.
3. Not seeking healthcare for themselves
This one is different. It's not a professional conduct issue in the same way, but it still matters to both you and your patients.
Doctors are, notoriously, not good at being patients. We minimise symptoms, delay presenting, avoid registering with a GP, and tell ourselves we'll deal with it later. There are understandable reasons for this. Time is genuinely scarce. There can be stigma, particularly around mental health, with legitimate concerns about professional consequences. For many doctors, being unwell feels incompatible with their role.
However, we know burnout is far more likely when doctors neglect their own health. This erodes empathy and impairs judgement, which significantly increases the risk of clinical error. The Code reflects this reality: it explicitly states that good medical practice means having a regular GP, seeking independent advice when you need care, and not self-diagnosing or self-treating.
Pushing through is a habit most of us formed early in our careers. But there's a point at which it stops serving you or your patients. The colleagues I've seen struggle most are often the ones who waited too long to seek support.
These behaviours make intuitive sense in the moment, which is exactly why they're so common. Our concern is that the risk is often higher than you appreciate, the cost when things go wrong is high, and in almost every case we see, it was entirely preventable.
For medico-legal advice call 1800 128 268.
This article was originally published in Connect magazine issue 26 in May 2026.
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