Ethics and Professionalism Flashcards
7 cards from real PCE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Ethics and Professionalism flashcards as text
A physiotherapist is treating a patient who is also a personal friend. The BEST approach is to:
Answer: Recognize the dual relationship and consider referring to a colleague to maintain objectivity
Dual relationships can impair professional objectivity; referring to a colleague is often the most ethical course to protect both the patient and the therapeutic relationship.
When a patient asks a physiotherapist about treatment options that include techniques outside the therapist's competence, the therapist should:
Answer: Provide general information and refer the patient to a competent practitioner
Therapists must acknowledge the limits of their competence, provide accurate information, and facilitate appropriate referral.
A physiotherapist learns that a clinic is systematically overcharging insurers for services. The most appropriate action is to:
Answer: Raise the concern with management, and if unresolved, report to the appropriate regulatory or legal authority
Insurance fraud is illegal and unethical; clinicians who become aware of it have an obligation to report it through proper channels.
Which element is ESSENTIAL for a physiotherapy clinical record to meet professional and legal standards?
Answer: Objective, accurate, timely, and legible documentation of assessments and interventions
Records must be objective, accurate, timely, and legible to meet medicolegal and professional documentation standards.
A physiotherapist practicing evidence-based care should integrate which three components?
Answer: Best available research evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values and preferences
Evidence-based practice combines the best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient-specific values and preferences.
A physiotherapist disagrees with a patient's cultural beliefs that conflict with the recommended treatment approach. The ethical response is to:
Answer: Seek to understand the cultural perspective and negotiate a plan that respects both culture and safety
Cultural humility requires understanding and respecting cultural beliefs while collaboratively developing a plan that maintains safety and effectiveness.
Under which circumstance may a physiotherapist ethically terminate the therapeutic relationship?
Answer: When the patient has achieved goals, is no longer benefiting, or repeatedly endangers the therapist's safety, with adequate notice and referral provided
Termination is ethical when care goals are met, further care is not beneficial, or therapist safety is at risk, provided adequate notice and transition support are given.