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Self-Assessment: Conflict of Interest
Welcome to the Conflict of Interest Self-Assessment
Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) are in a unique relationship of trust with their patients and thus have a duty to act in the best interests of their patients who rely on them. NDs have access to personal and sensitive information and often work with people who may be vulnerable in various ways and as such have a professional responsibility to uphold the values of respect and trust.
As an ND, it is important to not place yourself in a position where a patient, or other person, might reasonably conclude that your professional judgment may be influenced by your personal interest, or that your personal interest may conflict with your duty to act in the best interests of your patients.
This self-assessment tool has been developed to help registrants meet their professional and legal obligations. It uses questions to help you assess and address conflict of interest situations and should be read in conjunction with the resources listed below.
Three Step Process – Read, Identify, Review and Modify
1. Read our resources All conflict of interest resources are published on the College of Naturopaths of Ontario’s website. These resources have been developed to help NDs identify, assess, and address conflict of interest situations.
2. Identify conflict of interest situations A conflict of interest is created when a Naturopathic Doctor is in a position where a reasonable person could conclude that their professional judgment may be compromised or impaired.
NDs must ensure that their professional judgment is not influenced by, and does not appear to be influenced by, any financial or other personal considerations. NDs should not be seen, or perceived, to give preferential treatment to any person or organization.
3. Review and Modify The best approach to addressing conflict of interest situations is to avoid the conflict or refer the patient to another Naturopathic Doctor. Once an ND becomes aware of a conflict of interest, and avoidance is not an option, the DORM (Disclosure, Options, Reassurance, Modification) principle may help in addressing the conflict.
Remember…NDs are responsible for identifying and addressing conflicts of interest in all situations. NDs should address all conflicts of interest, whether actual or perceived.
