1. PTHA 1301:
The Profession of Physical Therapy
FALL 2011: WEEK 13, LECTURE 1

2. Today’s Theme Song
SURPRISE

3. Goals for Today:
Ethical and Legal Considerations
 Examine ethical issues related to physical therapy
care
 Describe the values/attributes of professionalism
listed by the APTA as Core Values for the PT
 Summarize patient confidentiality related to physical
therapy care
 Analyze legal issues related to physical therapy care

4. Reflective Thinking
 Think of a time when you had to make a
difficult decision.
 What were some of the factors that made the
decision difficult to make?
 How did the process of making this decision
affect your emotions?
 Did it affect you physically?
 Who or what helped you to make the decision?

5. Morals and Ethics
 What does the word MORAL(s) mean?
 of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior
 What does the word ETHICS mean?
 a set of moral principles : a theory or system of moral
values
 What’s the difference between morals and ethics?
 Morals define personal character, while ethics stress a
social system in which those morals are applied.

6. Are all ethical decisions black and
white?
An Ethical Dilemma as defined by
Ruth Purtilo is: a type of ethical
situation in which two courses of
action can be equally appropriate.

7. Terminology
 Beneficence
 “doing good” for others
 Nonmaleficence
 The concept of doing no harm (Hippocratic Oath)
 Justice
 Dealing with all people in the same fair manner
 Veracity
 The obligation to be truthful in words and actions
 Confidentiality
 HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)
 Autonomy
 The right of people to have choices and to make their own decisions
(Patient’s Bill of Rights)

8. Figure 3.1: American Physical Therapy Association Standards of Ethical
Conduct for PTAs
Courtesy of the APTA

9. Small Group Question #1
 A patient is attracted to you, and you are
attracted to the patient. The patient inquires
about making your relationship personal as
well as professional.
 What would you do?
 What Standards of Ethical Conduct could you use
to help shape your ethical obligations to the
profession of physical therapy?

10. Small Group Question #2
 A patient is being treated for knee pain with
a hot pack and enters the clinic with
complaints of shoulder pain. The patient
wants you to treat her shoulder with a hot
pack also.
 What would you do?
 If you gave the patient a hot pack to her shoulder,
would you be in violation of any laws or
guidelines?

11. Small Group Question #3
 You are working with another PTA and
notice that he has asked the PT aide to give
an ultrasound to one of his patients. The
aide says yes and performs the ultrasound
without any problems.
 What would you do?

12. Small Group Question #4
 You ask a patient how he is feeling. He says
he is feeling pretty good. However, the
patient tells you to make sure you explain
just how poorly his knee is feeling and how
poor his ROM is on the progress note that
will go to the worker’s comp board. You
think the patient could RUN out of the room
if needed.
 What would you do?
 What would you tell the patient?

13. Small Group Question #5
 Do you believe ethical behavior can be
taught? Why or why not?
 Up to this point in your life, what influences have
had the greatest effect on the development of
your ethical behavior?

14. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!