Hawaii Administrative Rules › Title 16 - DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS › Chapter 88 - NATUROPATHS › Subchapter 11 - STANDARDS OF PRACTICE, CARE, AND ETHICS › Section 16-88-80 - Code of ethics

Current through June, 2024
(a) To provide
				protection to the general public, a naturopathic physician shall abide by the
				following code of ethics:
(1) Honesty: A
				naturopathic physician shall conduct himself or herself in an honest manner;
				shall not represent himself or herself to patients or the public in an
				untruthful, misleading, or deceptive manner; and shall not engage in
				advertising that is false or deceptive.
(2) Improper relationship: A naturopathic
				physician shall not engage in sexual relations with a patient unless that
				patient has been released from the naturopathic physician's care for at least
				one year. The termination of the physician-patient relationship shall be in
				writing, and the patient shall understand that the physician-patient
				relationship has ended.
(3)
				Privacy: A naturopathic physician shall maintain patient privacy and
				confidentiality; provided that if the naturopathic physician becomes aware that
				a patient is a danger to the public, the naturopathic physician shall take
				reasonable steps to advise appropriate public officials or agencies of the
				potential danger, within the guidelines of applicable laws.
(4) Performance: A naturopathic physician
				shall perform professional tasks and responsibilities to the best of the
				naturopathic physician's ability, and refrain from engaging in any behavior
				that will detract from his or her ability to engage in the practice of
				naturopathic medicine.
(5)
				Obligation: The fundamental and primary obligation of a naturopathic physician
				is to the patient, and the maintenance and improvement of the patient's health
				and well-being.
(A) A naturopathic physician
				shall at all times seek to employ methods of therapy that are consistent with
				naturopathic medical philosophy, scientific principles and evidence, and the
				naturopathic physician's training and experience, and shall provide patients
				with information about these therapies and potential alternative therapies so
				that the patient may give fully informed consent to the recommended
				treatments.
(B) As part of the
				obligation to provide care, a naturopathic physician shall use his or her best
				efforts to facilitate a patient's access to high quality, safe and reliable
				medicines, medical devices, and supplements.
(C) A naturopathic physician shall offer
				alternative sources for obtaining the items in subparagraph (5)(B) as long as
				those alternative sources do not compromise patient safety or clinical
				effectiveness.
(D) The naturopathic
				physician shall adequately disclose the contents of medicines or the nature and
				description of treatments recommended to a patient.
(E) Furthermore, all therapies shall be
				monitored by the naturopathic physician in a timely manner utilizing reliable
				means in order to accurately assess the patient's response to employed
				treatments.
(F) A naturopathic
				physician shall only provide or recommend services that are medically necessary
				or deemed to be beneficial for an individual patient.
(6) Competence: A naturopathic physician
				shall maintain proficiency and competence, and be diligent in the provision and
				administration of patient care.
(A) A
				naturopathic physician shall recognize and exercise professional judgment
				within the limits of his or her qualifications, and collaborate with others,
				seek counsel, or make referrals as appropriate.
(B) When expanding the naturopathic
				treatments or services provided to patients, a naturopathic physician shall
				pursue the appropriate advanced education and training.
(C) A naturopathic physician shall dedicate
				sufficient time to each patient in order to provide (to the best of the
				naturopathic physician's ability) accurate, comprehensive, and individualized
				patient assessment and treatment.
(7) Discrimination: A naturopathic physician
				is free to decide whether or not to provide naturopathic medical care of a
				particular person, unless confronted with a medical emergency; provided that
				the naturopathic physician shall not refuse his or her best care if other
				reasonable options are not available.
(A) A
				naturopathic physician shall not decline to provide care for a person or
				discriminate against others on the basis of race, ethnicity, creed, religion,
				disability, sex, age, sexual orientation, or national origin.
(B) Once the naturopathic physician-patient
				relationship has begun, the naturopathic physician shall provide care until
				care is complete, the patient ends the relationship, or the naturopathic
				physician has discharged the patient from care.
(C) If a naturopathic physician justifiably
				desires to end the naturopathic physician-patient relationship, and if
				continued medical care is appropriate, the naturopathic physician shall
				document a formal referral to an appropriate health care provider.
(8) Communication: A naturopathic
				physician has a duty to not only communicate effectively with a patient, but
				also to educate the patient and convey relevant information in terms the
				patient can understand, providing adequate opportunity for the patient to ask
				questions and discuss matters related to the patient's care.
(A) A naturopathic physician shall transfer a
				patient's records to another health care provider at the request of the
				patient, in accordance with appropriate and applicable legal guidelines, in a
				reasonable and timely fashion, and at reasonable cost.
(B) A naturopathic physician shall maintain
				confidentially of all patient records unless otherwise instructed by the
				patient or required by law.
(9) Conflicts of interest: If a naturopathic
				physician is faced with a conflict of interest, the conflict shall be resolved
				in the best interest of the patient.
(A) If a
				naturopathic physician has any financial interests that may conflict with
				appropriate medical care, the naturopathic physician shall disclose those
				interests to the patient.
(B) A
				naturopathic physician who makes written or oral public statements concerning
				specific products sold by a company from which the naturopathic physician
				receives compensation, or in which the naturopathic physician holds an
				ownership interest, shall disclose this financial relationship in those public
				statements.
(10)
				Improper conduct: A naturopathic physician shall not prescribe, provide, or
				seek compensation for medical services that are not specifically indicated for
				an individual patient.
(11)
				Influence: A naturopathic physician shall not exert influence over a patient to
				undertake any action that is contrary to the patient's best interest.
(12) Accepting gifts: A naturopathic
				physician shall not accept gifts from any individual or entity that are deemed
				to influence the naturopathic physician's professional clinical
				judgment.