A Vancouver Island doctor is being disciplined for administering non-conventional therapies and using non-approved substances.
The disciplinary notice from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia says Dr. Paul Michael Harris of Duncan “engaged in [the] unprofessional conduct” between October 2020 and April 2021.
They say Harris prescribed medication to an employee without documenting patient-physician encounters and used non-conventional therapies, specifically hypnosis.
The college says he also participated in the use of non-approved substances such as psilocybin and MDMA that were administered by a non-physician as a form of therapy.
Harris has entered into a consent agreement with the inquiry committee of the College. This means Harris has been downgraded from the full “specialty” class of registration to the conditional “disciplined” class of registration and received a formal reprimand.
The college says he is also not to use non-conventional therapies, participate with employees in the use of non-approved substances and must document all patient-physician encounters and maintain office medical records.
“The inquiry committee was critical of the registrant’s conduct and noted that the conduct was contrary to the College practice standards, Treatment of Self, Family Members and Others Close to You, Medical Records Documentation, and Complementary and Alternative Therapies,” said the college in the notice.
“The committee noted that by repeatedly contravening College practice standards, Dr. Harris placed the employee at risk, and therefore, a disciplinary outcome was appropriate.”
