Question

Introduction to physical therapy, chapter 5 and 6 Clynch

Provide 2 examples in physical therapy where an ethical dilemma may arise. What do you feel would be the proper way to deal with these situations?

Answer 1

The healthcare professional may face many ethical dilemmas in caring patients. These can be faced and managed by professional standards of care and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Incompetent care:

Physical therapist may counteract with people who must be cared with utmost level of knowledge and beyond their limits. The healthcare professional should analyze the situation well and interdisciplinary collaboration can be effectively utilized to manage the situation. The assessment and monitoring of the person with multidisciplinary health team will be effective in tackling ethical situations. The physical therapist must provide a professionally competent care. The continuing education programs will help to improve the standard of care.

Breach of confidentiality:

The physical therapist may counteract with situations like the sharing of patient information with other personnel’s in order to plan the care. The confidentiality must be maintained as much as possible. Informed consent from the patient or family must be obtained well in advance. The decisions about therapy can be made in mutual understanding. In some situations the patient may refuse the life saving measures and this should be managed with the ethics in mind. The patient’s right to receive or refuse a treatment must be respected.