Discharging a Patient

Posted On: June 3, 2025

I have a patient who has been verbally abusive to my staff on a number of occasions. I would like to discharge them as my patient. What do I need to do?

When a registrant believes they are no longer the right naturopath for a patient, they need to consider the following:

The Professional Misconduct Regulation states that the registrant must have considered:

• their reasons for discontinuing services,
• the patient’s condition,
• the availability of alternate services, and
• the opportunity provided to the patient to arrange for alternate services before stopping their treatment.

If the registrant feels it is appropriate after having considered the above, then they may discharge a patient.

The Code of Ethics states that the registrant is to provide care until reasonable notice of termination of care has been provided to the patient. Registrants must continue providing care until the patient has been given reasonable notice and the opportunity to find another naturopath.

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