Ethical Decision-Making in Physical Therapy |
Principle 6A physical therapist shall maintain and promote high standards for physical therapy practice, education, and research. Principle 6 is divided into five subsections. The first subsection stipulates that a physical therapist must know and comply with "accepted professional standards." This principle is closely related to the previous one regarding competence and takes it further into the area of compliance. The second subsection refers to maintaining professional competence and discusses the need for physical therapists to participate in reviewing the quality of their practices using various methods. The third subsection instructs physical therapists to support education and delineates some of the responsibilities for both academic and clinical faculty, particularly that of role modeling ethical behavior. The fourth subsection refers to the need for continuing education and includes some requirements for the provision of high quality courses. The final subsection specifies that physical therapists should promote research and also includes guidance on the ethical presentation of research. This principle summarizes our profession's commitment to high quality practice, research and education. It serves as a promise to society to protect consumers, students and research subjects from unethical behavior and therapist incompetence. |