Other points from the guidelines are:
For an intimate examination, the patient is entitled to ask for a chaperone. Such requests should be acceded to whenever possible.
The perceived misuse of alcohol or other drugs by a doctor may be grounds for holding an inquiry even if the doctor claims to be off duty.
Many complaints to the council referred to lack of communication, or discourtesy, by the doctor. "Where differences have arisen between the doctor and patient or the patient's relatives there is much to be gained and rarely anything to be lost by the expression of regret by the doctor. Doctors may have been inhibited by feeling that any such expression would amount to an admission of liability. This is not necessarily so."
Identifiable audio-visual or photographic recordings of a patient, or relatives of a patient, may be undertaken only with informed and appropriate consent.
For the seriously ill patient who is unable to communicate or understand, it is desirable that the doctor discuss management with the next of kin or the legal guardians prior to reaching a decision about treatments which will not contribute to recovery from the primary illness.
Access to nutrition and hydration remained one of the basic needs of human beings and all reasonable and practical efforts should be made to maintain both.
The creation of new forms of life for experimental purposes or the deliberate and intentional destruction of human life already formed is professional misconduct.