OT General 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ethical principle is violated when an OT shares a client's protected health information with a non-treating family member without the client's consent?
- Beneficence
- Non-maleficence
- Confidentiality (Fidelity) (Correct answer)
- Justice
Correct answer: Confidentiality (Fidelity)
Sharing protected health information without consent violates confidentiality, an ethical and legal obligation upheld under both AOTA's Code of Ethics and HIPAA.
Question 2: A therapist uses dynamic splinting for a client with a flexion contracture at the PIP joint. The PRIMARY goal of dynamic splinting in this case is:
- Immobilize the joint to reduce inflammation
- Apply low-load prolonged stretch to increase passive range of motion (Correct answer)
- Provide resistance for strengthening
- Correct spasticity through inhibitory pressure
Correct answer: Apply low-load prolonged stretch to increase passive range of motion
Dynamic splinting applies low-load, prolonged stretch to remodel connective tissue and increase passive range of motion in contractured joints.
Question 3: An OT conducting a driving rehabilitation evaluation should FIRST:
- Begin on-road evaluation immediately
- Complete a comprehensive clinical evaluation of vision, cognition, and motor skills (Correct answer)
- Recommend license revocation
- Teach adaptive driving techniques
Correct answer: Complete a comprehensive clinical evaluation of vision, cognition, and motor skills
The clinical evaluation — assessing vision, cognition, perception, and motor function — must precede on-road testing to establish baseline abilities and ensure safety.
Question 4: Which positioning strategy is RECOMMENDED for a client with severe spasticity in a supine position to reduce extensor tone?
- Head hyperextension with legs straight
- Neutral spine with hips and knees slightly flexed (Correct answer)
- Prone position with arms at sides
- Sitting upright at 90 degrees immediately
Correct answer: Neutral spine with hips and knees slightly flexed
Neutral spinal alignment with slight hip and knee flexion reduces extensor synergy patterns and inhibits excessive extensor tone in individuals with spasticity.
Question 5: A pediatric OT recommends a pencil grip adapter for a child with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). This is an example of which intervention approach from the OTPF?
- Restore
- Establish/Create
- Modify (Compensate) (Correct answer)
- Prevent
Correct answer: Modify (Compensate)
The Modify/Compensate approach uses adaptive strategies or tools to allow performance despite impairments; a pencil grip adapter compensates for poor fine motor control.
Question 6: During an inpatient psychiatric evaluation, a client with schizophrenia has poor insight into their illness. Which OT priority is MOST appropriate?
- Discharge planning focused on independent living immediately
- Establishing a therapeutic rapport and assessing daily living skills and role function (Correct answer)
- Administering cognitive testing batteries only
- Focusing solely on vocational rehabilitation
Correct answer: Establishing a therapeutic rapport and assessing daily living skills and role function
Building therapeutic rapport and evaluating functional ADL and role performance establishes a foundation for intervention when insight is limited in psychiatric clients.
Question 7: A therapist performing a task analysis of meal preparation identifies that a client skips steps and loses track of ingredients. This suggests difficulty with which executive function?
- Long-term memory consolidation
- Visual acuity
- Working memory and task initiation (Correct answer)
- Fine motor dexterity
Correct answer: Working memory and task initiation
Skipping steps and losing track of materials during a multi-step task reflects deficits in working memory and sustained initiation, both executive functions.
OT General 5
Which ethical principle is violated when an OT shares a client's protected health information with a non-treating family member without the client's consent?