Legal and professional boundaries: a case study

In order to be a successful practitioner, one must be able to consider and adhere to both legal and ethical boundaries within their practice. It is important to consider these obligations, as Herring (2007) identifies that we must adhere to legal perspectives, as the primary function of English law is to protect society from harm and wrongdoing. Mason and Laurie (2013) support this by suggesting that when practising in a medical field, law and ethics must dominate practice, to ensure the healthcare professional acts in an appropriate way towards their patients.

This article will examine possible legal and issues within a hypothetical case study, and discuss the possible conflicts associated with these issues. The article is written from a first-hand perspective of a ‘first on scene’ paramedic attending a patient called Laura. Relevant supporting literature is used throughout.

Laura is 29 years old and has schizophrenia. She is also 30 weeks pregnant. Her partner (Simon) has called 999—she has not been taking her medication for several days as she wrongly believed it might cause harm to the baby. Since Laura stopped taking the medication, she has become increasingly irrational and aggressive towards her family, and as a result they contacted the ambulance service. Laura has pre-eclampsia and has been advised by a specialist that she will need to have a C-section in order to protect both her own health and that of the foetus. When the paramedic arrives, Simon is very concerned, as it appears that Laura might be in premature labour but is refusing to go to hospital or to allow him to call for anyone other than the paramedic. Laura lives with her partner Simon, and until the time of incident had been looking forward to the delivery of her unborn child.