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GOC Standard 15: Professional Boundaries in Optical Practice (Level 1)

Maintaining Safe, Respectful, and Professional Relationships (Within S15)

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GOC Standard 15: Boundaries
Why Boundaries Matter
Types of Boundaries
Boundary Awareness
Emotional Boundaries
Emotional Challenges
Digital & Social Boundaries
Digital Boundaries
Dual Relationships & Distance
Dual Relationship Dilemmas
Domiciliary & Community Boundaries
Sexual Boundary Challenges
Reflection & Continuous Improvement
GOC Standard 15: Boundaries
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Scenarios: Digital Boundaries

Digital missteps spread quickly and leave traces. Practised responses protect privacy, maintain trust, and leave an audit trail that explains choices.^[3]^[1]

Scenario

A patient, pleased after a recent consultation, sends a friend request to a clinician's personal social media account and follows up with a message asking a clinical question. The clinician recognises the sender as their patient and must decide how to respond without damaging rapport or compromising privacy and professional boundaries.

How should the clinician respond while keeping rapport?

Decline the friend request using a polite, supportive phrase and direct the patient to approved practice communication channels.^[1]^[2]
Thank the patient for their trust, explain that personal social accounts are not appropriate for clinical queries and that using practice channels protects their privacy.^[1]^[2]
Provide the practice contact details or the approved platform link and invite the patient to contact through those routes.^[2]^[5]
Record the interaction succinctly in the clinical record or staff log, noting date, platform, the phrases used, and any patient replies.^[2]^[5]
Inform the manager or information governance lead if repeated requests occur or if the patient persists.^[2]^[3]

Scenario

A colleague posts a photograph of a corneal lesion with partial demographics to a team WhatsApp group seeking quick clinical advice. The image and details are visible to all group members, creating a potential data-protection risk.

What is the safe immediate response and how should the team prevent recurrence?

Request that the sender delete the message immediately and move the discussion to the approved clinical platform.^[2]^[4]
Confirm deletion with the sender, check whether the image was forwarded beyond the group, and assess if identifiable data were exposed.^[3]^[2]
Log the event as a near-miss, including who posted it, when, platform, deletion confirmation, and actions taken.^[5]^[3]
Provide a brief refresher to the team on approved tools and update local DPIA or policy to address gaps enabling the breach.^[2]^[5]

Phrases and system nudges that help

"Thanks for getting in touch-please use our practice channels so we can keep your information private," keeps tone supportive. "Let's move this to the approved platform so the record is secure," signals solution, not judgement. Auto-signatures with official contact routes and social profile settings that block non-friends from messaging can reduce pressure.^[1]^[2]

Accountability details to capture

Who/what/when/why - who sent or received, what was requested or shared, when the boundary was set, and why the chosen platform protects privacy and auditability.^[3]^[5]
Containment steps - deletion confirmed, recipients checked, risk assessed, and any patient communication completed.^[2]^[3]
Learning applied - policy or DPIA updates made, staff briefed, and induction materials amended so locums follow the same rules on day one.^[5]^[2]

References (numbered in text)

Using social media as a medical professional — General Medical Council (came into effect 30 January 2024) Find (opens in a new tab)
Using mobile messaging — NHS Transformation Directorate (20 December 2022) Find (opens in a new tab)
Personal data breaches: a guide — Information Commissioner's Office Find (opens in a new tab)
WhatsApp in Clinical Practice: A Literature Review — Maurice Mars; Richard E Scott; Stud Health Technol Inform. 2016 Find (opens in a new tab)
Data Security and Protection Toolkit — NHS England Digital Find (opens in a new tab)

Key Points

Please take a moment to review these points, reflect on their significance and consider how they apply to your own experiences.

Tick to confirm (optional):

Digital missteps leave persistent traces; use practised responses to protect privacy and maintain trust.
Decline patient friend requests politely and route clinical queries to approved practice channels.
Record interactions briefly: date, platform, content shared, script used and notify management if repeated.
If identifiable patient data is shared in WhatsApp/group chat, request deletion, move discussion to approved platform and confirm deletion.
Log near-misses and incidents, update the DPIA/policy and use brief staff refreshers to prevent recurrence.
Capture accountability: who/what/when/why, containment steps taken, and learning applied for governance evidence.
Design systems to reduce risky workarounds: single sign-on, easy access to approved tools and secure in-system 'ask a colleague' channels.
Escalate when data appears on public feeds, cannot be contained or deletion cannot be confirmed; involve IG lead and follow breach processes.
Provide staff support: fix licencing/password issues, offer drop-in digital coaching and include scripts in induction.
Use visible cues (privacy reminders, chat descriptions, rotating prompts) to keep digital hygiene front-of-mind.

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Digital & Social Boundaries Dual Relationships & Distance

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Course Snapshot

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Length: 75 minutes CPD (1.25 CE Credits)
Appropriate for: Optometrists, Dispensing Opticians, Optical Assistants, Practice Managers, Locums and Students in optical practice.
Course Price: Free
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Harvard

Mecourse Lifelong Learning (2025) ‘Scenario Page 3: Digital Boundaries’. Mecourse Lifelong Learning [Online]. Available at: https://www.mecourse.com/scenario-page-3-digital-boundaries [Accessed 12 May 2026].

Vancouver

Mecourse Lifelong Learning. Scenario Page 3: Digital Boundaries [Internet]. Mecourse Lifelong Learning; 2025 Aug 22 [cited 2026 May 12]. Available from: https://www.mecourse.com/scenario-page-3-digital-boundaries.

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Mecourse Lifelong Learning. “Scenario Page 3: Digital Boundaries.” 2025. https://www.mecourse.com/scenario-page-3-digital-boundaries. Accessed May 12, 2026.

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Mecourse Lifelong Learning. (2025, August 22). Scenario Page 3: Digital Boundaries. https://www.mecourse.com/scenario-page-3-digital-boundaries

IEEE

Mecourse Lifelong Learning, “Scenario Page 3: Digital Boundaries.” Mecourse Lifelong Learning. https://www.mecourse.com/scenario-page-3-digital-boundaries (Accessed: May 12, 2026).

AMA

Mecourse Lifelong Learning. Scenario Page 3: Digital Boundaries. Mecourse Lifelong Learning. Published August 22, 2025. Accessed May 12, 2026. https://www.mecourse.com/scenario-page-3-digital-boundaries.

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GOC Standard 15: Professional Boundaries in Optical Practice (Level 1)

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