NPTE-PT Professional Responsibilities and Ethics 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following scenarios BEST represents a violation of the ethical principle of veracity?
- Telling a patient their prognosis is uncertain
- Inflating documentation of functional deficits to justify ongoing insurance coverage (Correct answer)
- Providing honest feedback about a patient's progress plateau
- Documenting all treatments as performed
Correct answer: Inflating documentation of functional deficits to justify ongoing insurance coverage
Veracity requires honesty in all professional communications; inflating documentation to justify coverage is both fraudulent and a breach of truthfulness.
Question 2: A PT receives a subpoena requesting patient records. The MOST appropriate response is to:
- Immediately release all records to the requesting party
- Consult legal counsel and release only what is legally required (Correct answer)
- Refuse the subpoena and notify the patient
- Destroy the records to protect patient privacy
Correct answer: Consult legal counsel and release only what is legally required
A subpoena is a legal demand, and the PT should consult legal counsel to ensure proper compliance while protecting patient rights.
Question 3: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a PT practice is REQUIRED to:
- Provide free services to all patients with disabilities
- Make reasonable accommodations to ensure accessible services for patients with disabilities (Correct answer)
- Hire only staff members with disabilities
- Waive copayments for disabled patients
Correct answer: Make reasonable accommodations to ensure accessible services for patients with disabilities
The ADA requires healthcare providers to make reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to services for individuals with disabilities.
Question 4: A PT who disagrees with a facility's policy that conflicts with ethical practice has a professional obligation to:
- Comply with all facility policies without question
- Advocate for policy change through appropriate channels while continuing ethical practice (Correct answer)
- Immediately resign from the position
- Report the facility to the media
Correct answer: Advocate for policy change through appropriate channels while continuing ethical practice
PTs must advocate for ethical practice by working through appropriate professional and institutional channels to address problematic policies.
Question 5: A patient who has capacity refuses a recommended intervention. After thorough education, the PT should:
- Proceed with the intervention for the patient's own good
- Document the refusal and respect the patient's autonomous decision (Correct answer)
- Contact the patient's family to override the decision
- Discharge the patient immediately for non-compliance
Correct answer: Document the refusal and respect the patient's autonomous decision
Respect for autonomy requires honoring a capacitated patient's informed refusal and documenting it thoroughly in the clinical record.
Question 6: Which of the following actions by a PT MOST clearly demonstrates the principle of social responsibility?
- Treating only patients with premium insurance plans
- Volunteering at community health screenings to improve public access to care (Correct answer)
- Limiting practice hours to maximize income
- Referring all complex cases to physicians
Correct answer: Volunteering at community health screenings to improve public access to care
Social responsibility calls on PTs to promote health and wellness in the community, including providing services that expand equitable access to care.
Question 7: A PT discovers an error in a previously written progress note. The CORRECT way to correct this error is to:
- Use correction fluid to cover the error and write the correction
- Delete the electronic entry and create a new note
- Draw a single line through the error, initial it, date it, and add the correction (Correct answer)
- Leave the error unchanged to avoid legal liability
Correct answer: Draw a single line through the error, initial it, date it, and add the correction
The correct method for correcting documentation errors is to draw a single line through the mistake, initial and date it, and write the correct information.
NPTE-PT Professional Responsibilities and Ethics 5
Which of the following scenarios BEST represents a violation of the ethical principle of veracity?