CMT Safety, Ethics & Professional Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A manual therapist experiences a needlestick injury from a client's disclosed lancet during a session. The FIRST immediate step should be to:
- Complete the session and report to a supervisor afterward
- Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water immediately (Correct answer)
- Apply a tourniquet above the injury site
- Continue working and file an incident report at the end of the day
Correct answer: Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water immediately
Immediate washing with soap and water is the first line of response for needlestick injuries to reduce infection risk.
Question 2: Which of the following is an absolute contraindication for manual therapy?
- Mild delayed onset muscle soreness
- Pregnancy in the second trimester
- Acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) (Correct answer)
- Osteoporosis with no recent fractures
Correct answer: Acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
Acute DVT is an absolute contraindication because manual therapy could dislodge a clot and cause a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.
Question 3: Informed consent in manual therapy must include all of the following EXCEPT:
- Risks and benefits of the proposed treatment
- Available alternative treatments
- Therapist's personal opinion about the client's lifestyle choices (Correct answer)
- The right to withdraw consent at any time
Correct answer: Therapist's personal opinion about the client's lifestyle choices
Informed consent covers treatment-related information; a therapist's personal opinions about lifestyle are inappropriate and irrelevant to consent.
Question 4: A CMT discovers that a colleague is billing insurance for services not rendered. The ethical obligation is to:
- Ignore it to maintain collegial relationships
- Confront the colleague privately and take no further action
- Report the suspected fraud to the appropriate licensing or insurance authority (Correct answer)
- Document it in personal notes but take no action unless asked
Correct answer: Report the suspected fraud to the appropriate licensing or insurance authority
Insurance fraud is illegal and unethical; CMTs have an ethical and often legal obligation to report known or suspected fraud.
Question 5: Which standard precaution practice is required between ALL clients regardless of their known health status?
- Wearing a gown during every session
- Changing and laundering linens between each client (Correct answer)
- Administering a health screening questionnaire
- Performing a tuberculosis test monthly
Correct answer: Changing and laundering linens between each client
Changing and laundering linens between every client is a universal infection control standard that applies regardless of health status.
Question 6: A client presents with fever, chills, and general malaise before a scheduled session. The appropriate action is to:
- Proceed with gentle relaxation massage to help the client feel better
- Reschedule the appointment until the client is no longer symptomatic (Correct answer)
- Perform only lower extremity work to avoid the trunk
- Shorten the session to 15 minutes
Correct answer: Reschedule the appointment until the client is no longer symptomatic
Fever and systemic symptoms indicate acute illness, which is a contraindication to manual therapy and a cross-infection risk.
Question 7: The concept of 'therapeutic boundary' in manual therapy primarily exists to:
- Limit the number of sessions a client may attend
- Protect both the client and the therapist within the professional relationship (Correct answer)
- Define which body regions may be treated
- Establish payment policies and cancellation fees
Correct answer: Protect both the client and the therapist within the professional relationship
Therapeutic boundaries create a safe, ethical framework that protects the client from exploitation and the therapist from professional misconduct claims.
CMT Safety, Ethics & Professional Standards 3
A manual therapist experiences a needlestick injury from a client's disclosed lancet during a session.
The FIRST immediate step should be to: