NPTE-PT NPTE-PT Test Professional Responsibilities and Ethics Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A physical therapist discovers that a colleague is treating patients while under the influence of alcohol. What is the most appropriate initial course of action?
- Confront the colleague privately and ask them to stop
- Report the colleague to the state licensing board (Correct answer)
- Ignore the situation to avoid conflict
- Discuss the matter with other coworkers first
Correct answer: Report the colleague to the state licensing board
Licensed physical therapists have a mandatory duty to report impaired practitioners to the appropriate licensing authority to protect patient safety.
Question 2: Which ethical principle is MOST directly violated when a physical therapist provides treatment beyond their scope of competence without seeking additional training or referral?
- Beneficence
- Justice
- Nonmaleficence (Correct answer)
- Autonomy
Correct answer: Nonmaleficence
Nonmaleficence, the duty to do no harm, is most directly violated when a therapist practices beyond their competence, as it places patients at risk of injury.
Question 3: A patient requests access to their complete medical record including the physical therapist's personal session notes. Under HIPAA, what is the therapist's obligation?
- Deny access because session notes are private
- Provide access only if the patient's physician approves
- Provide the patient access to their designated record set, which may exclude psychotherapy-equivalent notes (Correct answer)
- Require the patient to obtain a court order
Correct answer: Provide the patient access to their designated record set, which may exclude psychotherapy-equivalent notes
Under HIPAA, patients have the right to access their designated record set, though certain psychotherapy-equivalent process notes may be excluded from this right.
Question 4: A physical therapist working in a skilled nursing facility notices that the facility administrator is pressuring therapists to bill for services not rendered. What does the APTA Code of Ethics require?
- Comply with the administrator's directive to maintain employment
- Document the directive but continue normal billing practices
- Refuse to participate in fraudulent billing and report the activity through appropriate channels (Correct answer)
- Negotiate a compromise with the administrator
Correct answer: Refuse to participate in fraudulent billing and report the activity through appropriate channels
The APTA Code of Ethics requires physical therapists to maintain integrity in all business practices and report fraudulent billing activities through appropriate legal and institutional channels.
Question 5: In which scenario would a physical therapist be MOST justified in breaching patient confidentiality without the patient's consent?
- The patient reveals they plan to physically harm a specific individual (Correct answer)
- The patient's employer requests information about work restrictions
- A family member asks about the patient's treatment progress
- An insurance company requests additional clinical documentation
Correct answer: The patient reveals they plan to physically harm a specific individual
The duty to warn or protect overrides confidentiality when a patient presents a credible, imminent threat of serious harm to an identifiable third party.
Question 6: A physical therapist is treating a patient who is also a close personal friend. Which ethical concern is MOST significant in this situation?
- The therapist may not bill insurance for treating a friend
- Dual relationships can compromise clinical objectivity and professional boundaries (Correct answer)
- The therapist must obtain special informed consent for treating acquaintances
- State law prohibits treating individuals with whom one has a personal relationship
Correct answer: Dual relationships can compromise clinical objectivity and professional boundaries
Dual relationships between therapist and patient can impair clinical judgment and compromise professional boundaries, potentially affecting the quality of care provided.
NPTE-PT NPTE-PT Test Professional Responsibilities and Ethics Questions and Answers 2
A physical therapist discovers that a colleague is treating patients while under the influence of alcohol.
What is the most appropriate initial course of action?