Code Of Ethics 5 (Dr. Kelly) Flashcards
Occupational therapy personnel shall provide comprehensive, accurate, and objective information when representing the profession.
Veracity
Related standards of conduct of veracity
— Represent credentials, qualifications, education, experience, training roles, duties, competence, contributions, and findings accurately in all forms of communication.
— Refrain from using or participating in the use of any form of communication that contains false, fraudulent, deceptive, misleading, or unfair statements or claims.
— Record and report in an accurate and timely manner and in accordance with applicable regulations, all information related to professional or academic documentation and activities.
— Identify and fully disclose to all appropriate persons errors or adverse events that compromise the safety of service recipients.
— Ensure that all marketing and advertising is truthful, accurate, and carefully presented to avoid misleading recipients of service, research participants or the public.
— Describe the type and duration of occupational therapy services accurately in professional contracts including duties and responsibilities of all involve parties.
— Be honest, fair, accurate, respectful and timely in gathering and reporting fact-based information regarding employee job performance and student performance.
— Give credit and recognition when using the work of others in written, oral or electronic media (Do Not Plagiarize)
—Provide students with access to accurate information regarding educational requirements and academic policies and procedures relative to the occupational therapy program or educational institution.
— Maintain privacy and truthfulness when utilizing telecommunication in delivery of occupational therapy services.
There are three primary categories of behavior included in Principle 5, Veracity:
- Truthful communication with others
- Documentation
- Attribution
Is the transmission of information (e.g. assessment results, intervention plans and research findings)
•OT’s have a duty to be honest in all oral and written communication within the profession and with external audiences including students, colleagues, clients and the public.
•When practitioners present information in a way that is unclear or dishonest, it may cause harm to the client. This includes updated research information.
Communication w/ the public
the importance of having confidence in one’s decision and reasonable belief that the course of action taken is the correct one
Moral courage
Relevant to occupational therapy practice, documentation is the process of recording data into records, or materials to communicate ideas, outcomes, projections, and education.
•Documentation supplied to local, state and federal agencies must be accurate and in accordance with stated regulations.
•Failure to ensure veracity in documentation violates Principle 5 as well as laws and regulations established to govern occupational therapy and protect clients.
Documentation
Accurate documentation is required for
- billing and reimbursement
- research
- education
- continuing education.
Whether documentation is needed for billing purposes, recording gains and losses or supplying evidence to standard setters, compliance is required on a consistent basis
●Ethical practice requires the documentation of assessments, progress, and number of minutes or units
●Third party payers have specific stipulations about the type and timing of documentation that must be submitted to receive reimbursement.
●The accuracy of documentation for billing purposes has both ethical and legal implications.
Billing and reimbursement
Occupational therapy practitioners involved in research must also abide by the ethical Principle of Veracity.
●They must obtain approval from the institutional review board (IRB) and gain consent from the participants
●If practitioners misrepresent research findings, it can endanger the clients and the profession
Research
Occupational therapy educators are bound by the Principle of veracity to develop a syllabus that clearly communicates the expectations of students and faculty
●The syllabus should be created to meet the ACOTE standards
●Faculty must be honest and forthcoming regarding course-specific details such as learning activities, and how a particular course is related to the curriculum design
Education
●Occupational therapy personnel must accurately document the continuing education the obtain for licensure or certification renewal and for continuing competence
●This documentation typically includes the name of the course, dates, number of contact hours and evidence of attendance or participation.
●Failure to provide accurate documentation or falsify documentation may result in disciplinary action which may include fines, or delay in license or certification renewal
Continuing education
Is the explicit recognition of others as the originators of ideas.
•Occupational therapy practitioners, including students, are obligated to provide attribution when they use the words and thoughts of others (aka references)
•This is also relevant for students and researchers who develop in-services, plicy manuals and screening tools for recipients
•This applies to material that is published and unpublished such as speeches, tweets, blog posts, photographs and drawings
•Occupational therapy practitioners and students have a responsibility under the Code of Ethics to clearly state when ideas, words and images are not their own.
Attribution
Principle 6 of code of ethics
Fidelity
Occupational therapy personnel shall treat clients, colleagues, and other professionals with respect, fairness, discretion, and integrity.
Fidelity
Fidelity related standards of conflict
Preserve, respect, and safeguard information about employees, colleagues, and students unless otherwise mandated or permitted by relevant laws.
B.Address incompetent, disruptive, unethical, illegal, or impaired practice that jeopardizes the safety or well-being of others and team effectiveness.
C.Avoid conflicts of interest or conflicts of commitment in employment, volunteer roles, or research.
D.Avoid using ones position (employee or volunteer) or knowledge gained from that position in such a manner as to give rise to real or perceived conflicts of interest among the person, the employer, other AOTA members, or other organizations.
Be diligent stewards of human, financial, and material resources of their employers and refrain from exploiting these resources for personal gain.
B.Refrain from verbal, physical, emotional, or sexual harassment of peers and colleagues.
C.Refrain from communication that is derogatory, intimidating, or disrespectful and that unduly discourages others from participating in professional dialog
D.Promote collaborative actions and communications as a member of interprofessional teams to facilitate quality care and safety for clients.
Respect the practices, competencies, roles, and responsibilities of their own and other professions to promote a collaborative environment reflective of interprofessional teams
B.Use conflict resolution and internal and alternative dispute resolution resources as needed to resolve organizational and interpersonal conflicts as well as perceived institutional ethics violations
C.Abide by policies, procedures, and protocols when serving or acting on behalf of a professional organization or employer to fully and accurately represent the organization’s official and authorized positions.
Refrain from actions that reduce the public’s trust in occupational therapy.
B.Self-identify when personal, cultural, or religious values preclude, or are anticipated to negatively affect, the professional relationship or provision of services, while adhering to organizational policies when requesting an exemption from service to an individual or group on the basis of conflict of conscience.
