Henriksen Simone
Associate Lecturer in Law, School of Law and Society, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland.
J Law Med. 2022 Jun;29(2):437-455.
This article examines the nature and level of misconduct occurring in the alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment sector in Australia between 2015 and 2020. Data were drawn from disciplinary decisions of statutory compliance bodies, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority, Consumer Law and coronial findings in all Australian jurisdictions. The data indicate that the current regulatory framework for unregistered health practitioners is unsuitable to protect the public from future acts of misconduct. The response to misconduct varies between registered and unregistered health practitioners. This suggests that unregistered health practitioners pose a greater risk of harm to the public than registered health practitioners, yet the former are subject to the least rigorous regulation. Further, systemic issues within organisations related to poor adherence or lack of sound policies and procedures were found to contribute to the misconduct and the risk of harm within the AOD treatment sector.
本文考察了2015年至2020年间澳大利亚酒精及其他药物（AOD）治疗领域不当行为的性质和程度。数据来源于法定合规机构、澳大利亚健康从业者监管局的纪律处分决定、消费者法以及澳大利亚所有司法管辖区的死因裁判结果。数据表明，当前针对未注册健康从业者的监管框架不足以保护公众免受未来不当行为的侵害。对不当行为的应对措施在注册和未注册健康从业者之间存在差异。这表明，未注册健康从业者对公众造成伤害的风险比注册健康从业者更大，但前者受到的监管最为宽松。此外，研究发现，组织内部与遵守不力或缺乏完善政策和程序相关的系统性问题，是导致AOD治疗领域不当行为和伤害风险的原因之一。
