We all understand, generally, that lactation support providers – from licensed primary healthcare providers (HCP) to volunteer peer counselors – owe a “duty of care” to the parents they work with, defined by laws and ethics codes.  But many are concerned that they do not know what is really expected of them, in the moment of clinical care, when decisions about how to do things “the right way” must be made.  This session will cover the basic of ethics and legal duty as a lactation support provider.  Examples from the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) literature will be used. A few topics that are the most common “hot spots” for practitioners (the ones that make us sweat) will be explored with a few slides.  Then we will get to what top of mind by the attendees: small group break-out (or) free-flow Q&A will explore realistic tactics to protect ourselves as practitioners with cool heads and clinical excellence.

This session meets requirements for E-CERP approval, for material covering Ethical and Legal Issues, and Public Health and Advocacy, coming under Section VII. Clinical Skills of the IBLCE Detailed Content Outline. At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:

1. Name one document for each kind of clinical practice guidance: (1) a mandatory (required) ethics document, (2) a voluntary (model, or best practices) document, and (3) a public health directive that is voluntary unless made into law
2. Define the difference between an ethics obligation, and a legal obligation, in clinical practice
3. Explain how gifts and samples from commercial entities, to health care providers, can change professional clinical behavior
4. Describe why de-identification of a patient/client, before discussing their case with colleagues, does not meet ethical standards for privacy and confidentiality