Disciplinary action postponed over surgery photo Kate Nolan The Arizona Republic Dec. 20, 2007 02:00 PM
Mayo Clinic Arizona officials Wednesday met and postponed disciplining a young physician who used a cell phone to photograph a patient's penis during surgery at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix.
Dr. Adam Hansen, chief resident of general surgery at the Phoenix hospital, told superiors last week he snapped the photo during a Dec. 11 gallbladder surgery on patient Sean Dubowik, whose penis bears the tattooed words "Hot Rod."
Since hearing about the photo, Dubowik, who runs a topless bar, said he felt "violated, betrayed and disgusted."
Hansen showed the image to other members of the surgical staff, and an investigation has been under way since a staff member reported the incident to medical supervisors last week. Hansen has been placed on administrative leave and is neither seeing nor treating patients. He has been unavailable for comment.
At Wednesday's hearing into the incident, Mayo officials from medical, education and administrative departments heard reports from an ongoing investigation. A spokeswoman could not confirm whether Mayo Clinic Arizona board chairman Dr. Victor Trastek attended the meeting.
The group expects to meet again Thursday and consult with management including officials based at Mayo's Rochester, Minn., headquarters.
According to Dr. Joseph Sirven, Mayo education director in Arizona, the investigation involves interviewing "whoever could have been there, so we can get a 360-degree view of what happened." A participant in Wednesday's hearing, Sirven earlier said Hansen's discipline options ranged from probation to termination.
A spokesman for the Arizona Medical Board could not comment on whether the incident was in breach of the Arizona Medical Practice Act. Under state law, unprofessional conduct can include viewing a disrobed patient in the course of treatment if the viewing is not related to diagnosis or treatment. The statute also bans conduct that may be harmful to the health of the patient.
_________________ Unfortunately, at the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius, the Flower Children jerked off and went back to sleep.
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