PCE Ethics and Professionalism 2

Question 1

A physiotherapist discovers that a colleague is regularly practicing while impaired by alcohol. What is the most appropriate first action?

Accepted Answer

Confront the colleague privately and document the concern

Answer

Report immediately to the police

Answer

Ignore it unless a patient complaint is filed

Answer

Inform patients so they can choose a different therapist

Question 2

A patient refuses a recommended treatment. After thorough education, the patient still declines. The physiotherapist should:

Accepted Answer

Document the refusal and respect the patient's decision

Answer

Proceed with treatment anyway to prevent harm

Answer

Discharge the patient immediately

Answer

Contact the patient's family to override the decision

Question 3

Which scenario BEST exemplifies the ethical principle of justice in physiotherapy practice?

Accepted Answer

Allocating treatment resources equitably regardless of socioeconomic status

Answer

Providing extra sessions to patients who pay more

Answer

Treating all patients with the same intervention regardless of diagnosis

Answer

Prioritizing patients who are most likely to recover fully

Question 4

A physiotherapist is asked by an employer to reduce treatment duration for all patients to increase clinic revenue. The ethical response is to:

Accepted Answer

Advocate for evidence-based treatment duration and report if patient safety is compromised

Answer

Comply to maintain employment

Answer

Reduce duration only for patients with good prognosis

Answer

Secretly extend sessions without documenting them

Question 5

A patient shares information about illegal drug use during a session. This information is:

Accepted Answer

Confidential unless it poses an imminent risk of harm to the patient or others

Answer

Always reportable to law enforcement

Answer

Required to be shared with other treating clinicians immediately

Answer

Grounds for immediate discharge from physiotherapy

Question 6

When a physiotherapist is unsure whether a specific intervention is within their scope of practice, the BEST action is to:

Accepted Answer

Consult regulatory guidelines and seek supervision or further training as needed

Answer

Proceed if they have seen it done before

Answer

Refuse all interventions outside their primary training

Answer

Delegate the task to a physiotherapy assistant

Question 7

A physiotherapist develops romantic feelings for a current patient. The most ethical course of action is to:

Accepted Answer

Transfer care to another therapist and recognize the therapeutic relationship must end first

Answer

Pursue the relationship discreetly after hours

Answer

Transfer care to a colleague and never see the patient again

Answer

Disclose feelings to the patient to maintain honesty