4706 : Physiotherapy

Need to write a essay about the standard of physiotherapy provision is similar in Ireland and New Zealand, with strong evidence, Please go through the Irish society of chartered physiotherapy core standard and code of ethics and practice, also same for the New Zealand board physiotherapy.

Physiotherapy: Code of Conduct

A well-written code of conduct for the healthcare professionals under a particular healthcare domain helps the professionals to have a clear vision about the values and principles of their practice.  The code of conduct mainly serves as the bench mark against which the performance of the individuals under particular profession is being measured (Parker, 2013). Physiotherapy is a branch of science that mainly employs physical methods like massage, exercise and heat treatment in order to treat pain, injury, deformity and disease. The professionals executing physiotherapy are known as physiotherapists and they also have some particular code of professional conduct (Scurlock-Evans, Upton & Upton, 2014).

In Ireland, the Rules of Professional Conduct Incorporating Code of Ethics  and  Guidelines for Professional Behaviour  are applicable to physiotherapists who are registered under are Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists. The main motive of the maintaining professional and ethical code of conduct is to uphold the overall standards of the professional and quality health outcomes. The code of conduct in physiotherapy profession in Ireland is subdivided into 10 different codes. The first code of conduct promotes proper respect to the dignity and rights of the service users; observance of the prevailing laws and regulations concerning the physiotherapy practice and holding the accountability of the taken judgement. The Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists [ISCP] (2014) also promotes honest and competent behaviour of the professionals with zero tolerance for discrimination, favour and fear. The society and recognise promote recognition of the professional limitations by self assessment and thereby restricting the practice over only those practice in which the concern professional feel confident and competent. The society also promotes communication of accurate information to the service users. At the end, the society also creates provision of the self improvement of the professionals via encouraging then to keep themselves updated about the latest trends in physiotherapy research and taking active part in the overall development process of physiotherapy in order to promote optimum health to the service users [ISCP, 2014].

The professional code of conduct for physiotherapists in Aotearao New Zealand provides set rules and guidelines for the professional behaviour that is expected to be executed by the physiotherapists practising in Aotearoa New Zealand. The code is mainly based on the ethical values and professional principles that are longstanding. 10 codes of professional conduct include respecting dignity of the patients or the service users and their family members; promotion of health and well-being of the patients while respecting their autonomy and maintenance of confidentiality and privacy while handling client information. The codes also highlight unbiased service procurement approach irrespective of the cast and creed while maintaining integrity in the professional practice. It also vouches for effective communication among the colleagues for the betterment of the service users. At the end the code of professional conduct promotes accountability for the actions undertaken by the professional and maintenance of their own health and well-being (The Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand, 2011).

Thus the main similarity between the professional conduct of conduct for physiotherapists in Ireland and New Zealand is both of them decode 10 different professional code of conduct. The main similarity between two codes of conduct is, it promotes respecting and acknowledging patients dignity while valuing patient's autonomy or freedom of the client to participate in informed decision making process. According to Oshima Lee and Emanuel (2013), facilitating informed decision making process while respecting client’s dignity increases the overall engagement of the client in the care plan and this in turn help to uplift the overall outcome of the care plan. This also helps to reduce the cost of care. Both the professional code of conduct states that it is the duty of the physiotherapists for being accountable for their own decision. According to Wachter (2013) increasing the accountability of the healthcare professionals increases his or her overall involvement in the care plan while remaining sound and aware of each and every decision taken. Both code of conduct encourage physician to act with integrity and strive for excellence and this in turn will help in the promotion of high standards of the physiotherapy practice research. Gopalakrishnan and Ganeshkumar (2013) highlighted that staying well informed about the current progress in the research or latest trends in research helps the physicians to take well-informed decision.

Thus from the above discussion, it can be summarised that professionals practising in Ireland and New Zealand have similar professional code of conduct and this include respecting autonomy and dignity of the service users while remaining accountable for the decision taken and staying updated about the current research progress.

References

Gopalakrishnan, S., & Ganeshkumar, P. (2013). Systematic reviews and meta-analysis: understanding the best evidence in primary healthcare. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 2(1), 9.

Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists. (2014). Rules of Professional Conduct Incorporating Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Professional Behaviour. Access date: 7^th August 2018. Retrieved from: https://www.iscp.ie/sites/default/files/Rules%20of%20Professional%20Conduct%20September%202014%20Public.pdf

Oshima Lee, E., & Emanuel, E. J. (2013). Shared decision making to improve care and reduce costs. New England Journal of Medicine, 368(1), 6-8.

Parker, M. (Ed.). (2013). Ethics and community in the health care professions. Routledge.

Scurlock-Evans, L., Upton, P., & Upton, D. (2014). Evidence-based practice in physiotherapy: a systematic review of barriers, enablers and interventions. Physiotherapy, 100(3), 208-219.

The Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand. (2011). Aotearoa New Zealand Physiotherapy Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Access date: 7^th August 2018. Retrieved from: https://www.physioboard.org.nz/sites/default/files/NZ_Physiotherapy_Code_of_Ethics_final_0.pdf

Wachter, R. M. (2013). Personal accountability in healthcare: searching for the right balance. BMJ Qual Saf, 22(2), 176-180.