In the recent past, as a result of the increased autonomy of physical therapists in executing their duties, there has been an increase in the number of ethical and legal responsibilities of individuals in this profession. Unlike in the past when the duties of physical therapists were few, nowadays physical therapists are not only supposed to provide medical care to patients but also they are supposed to manage aides and other health care, professionals.
Further, nowadays there exist numerous business opportunities that physical therapists can venture in, while still serving a health care institution. As a result of these changes profession, numerous legal and ethical questions arise every day as concerns the patient’s independence and delivery of quality service. Therefore, to ensure that practitioners in this field conform to the new developments by performing their duties to desired standards with integrity, there exist several legal and ethical responsibilities, which every physical therapist is supposed to respect. Without these responsibilities, the entire physical therapy practice will be in jeopardy, as there will be no criteria for differentiating right and wrong actions. This article will discuss the ethical and legal responsibilities of physical therapists ((Triesenberg, 1996, 1098-1099).
The first ethical responsibility of physical therapists is that of respecting and upholding high standards of dignity when dealing with clients regardless of their age, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or health condition. Practitioners in this field are supposed to respect every individual’s rights and treat them equally without any form of biasness. The second responsibility of practitioners in this profession is dealing with patients with the utmost care while ensuring that they build the desired level of confidence in their clients.
This involves acting in the best interest of patients, maintaining high standards of confidentiality of the patient’s information, and ensuring that the patients are provided with the required information that will help them to make informed decisions about their health. Practitioners in this field are also supposed to be accountable for any judgments they make about their patients; hence, they need them to make decisions that are objective, accurate, truthful, and dependable. A physical therapist can achieve this through wide consultation n and by ensuring that they conform to the set standards of their practice (Triesenberg, 1996, pp. 1102-1104).
On the other hand, physical therapists must ensure that they encourage proper organizational behaviors; behaviors that should not only benefit patients, but also the entire society. This includes ensuring that no practicing practitioner receives tips or gifts from patients and overcharging of patients depending on the nature of services offered. It is also the responsibility of the practitioners in this field to ensure that they refrain from any form of malpractice, which may jeopardize the quality of their services and fulfill their client’s health needs. Such cases are common nowadays because of the increasing business opportunities that are open to physical therapists.
Just like in any profession, physical therapists should also be agents of democracy and justice in society. This is something they can achieve by actively participating in any nation-building activities aimed at ensuring that there is equal distribution of resources among all society members. In addition, physical therapists can promote this through active participation in the process of policy formulation, through encouraging adherence to desired ethical standards, which define fairness in the society (Weiss, 1998, pp. 32-37).
It is a legal responsibility of a physical therapist to ensure that any form of transgression is discouraged among any health care providers, and in case it occurs, they must report it to the required authority. By doing this they would have exercised their legal responsibility to respect and adhere to any set local, state, and federal law provisions. Failure to do this can lead to numerous legal liabilities on the part of the concerned physical therapist. In addition, because of the risks associated with breaching any professional regulations, physical therapists should always make sure that their practices fall within set legal boundaries.
For practitioners in this line of the profession who are involved in research, they must protect their subjects and ensure that any research endeavor respects human dignity. Further, it is the legal duty of physical therapists to provide the desired advice and guidance to other practicing individuals who have other medical, psychological, or substance-related problems to seek help. Such should be the case primarily because, any failure by the member of a certain team to execute their duties using the desired protocols and adhering to the set principles may put at the question the credibility of their seniors or other healthcare providers (Illinois Physical Therapy Association, 2010, p.1).
In conclusion, because of the significance of a healthy nation, it is important for physical therapists to always ensure they encourage practices that will promote the achievement of these responsibilities. In addition, any health institution’s management should provide favorable conditions, which can promote the achievement of these duties, them being the primary determinant of the quality of service, which individuals will get.
References
Illinois Physical Therapy Association (2010). PT code of ethics. Illinois Physical Therapy Association. Web.
Triezenberg, H. L. (1996). The identification of ethical issues in physical therapy. Physical Therapy 76(10), 1097-1107. Web.
Weiss, R.C. (1998). Physical therapy aide: a worktext. New York: Delmar Publishers. Web.