The Principle of Nonmaleficence also includes an obligation not to impose risks of harm even if the potential risk is without malicious or harmful intent. (Principle: Justice; key words: discrimination, unfair, access, social justice), 4N. All rights reserved. Occupational therapy personnel, by virtue of the specific nature of the practice of occupational therapy, have a vested interest in social justice: addressing unjust inequities that limit opportunities for participation in society (Ashe, 2016; Braveman & Bass-Haugen, 2009). Prudence must be exercised in clinical and ethical reasoning, interactions with colleagues, and volunteer roles. The master's degree in occupational therapy puts you in a position to launch your career with having fieldwork experience, start earning money, and start making a difference sooner within the health and rehabilitative science industry. It felt like most of the hour was spent talking about how important it is to make goals functional. (Principle: Beneficence; key words: credentials, competence), 5D. AOTA 2020 Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics Hold requisite credentials for the occupational therapy services one provides in academic, research, physical, or virtual work settings. Reevaluate and reassess recipients of service in a timely manner to determine whether goals are being achieved and whether intervention plans should be revised. Patient will increase dynamometer score in bilateral hands to 90 lb in order to return to recreational activities. The Principles guide ethical decision making and inspire occupational therapy personnel to act in accordance with the highest ideals. They may also suggest changes to the treatment plan at this stage, if necessary. (Principle: Fidelity; key words: conflict of interest), 1N. occupations). Work to create this document, titled Principles of Ethics, began in 1973. As an assistant professor, Stephanie trumpets the value of teaching and practicing in the field of OT in an "out loud" manner. These deficits have a negative impact on his ability to write, type, and open his laptop and door handles. Equality indicates that all persons have fundamental human rights and the right to the same opportunities. (Principle: Nonmaleficence; key words: relationships, clients, service recipients, colleagues, professional boundaries, objectivity, social media), 2J. How Viagra became a new 'tool' for young men, Ankylosing Spondylitis Pain: Fact or Fiction, American Occupational Therapy Association, Occupational therapy vs. physical therapy, https://www.choosept.com/aboutptsptas/default.aspx, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/mobile/occupational-therapists.htm, https://www.aota.org/Conference-Events/OTMonth/what-is-OT.aspx, https://www.nbcot.org/en/Public/Occupational-Therapy#RoleoftheOTRorCOTA, New clues to slow aging? Ive got an article about OT documentation hacks that delves more into the topics of text expanders and abbreviations! (Principle: Autonomy; key words: occupational therapy process, informed consent), 4E. But, as we all know, documentation can take FOREVERand we might not have as much time as we'd like to do it justice. (Principle: Autonomy; key words: relationships, clients, service recipients), 2B. Can diet help improve depression symptoms? Hey Sarah, this info is so helpful as it pertains to older adults. They may then ask to watch the person carry out certain tasks. Different types of spinal cord injuries result in different, Stroke blocks the blood supply to the brain and can be life threatening. Respond to requests for occupational therapy services (e.g., referrals) in a timely manner as determined by law, regulation, or policy. But, its really not necessary to waste your precious time typing out statements like these. Occupational therapy personnel are expected to abide by the Principles and Standards of Conduct within this Code. Thoughts? (Principle: Fidelity; key words: competence, law), 5F. The vital importance of the profession aside, it is also about celebrating the miraculous achievements of their clients, the small steps . For treatment notes, many therapists actually combine their assessment and plan sections, which is where you would find sentences like the ones I listed. Why not an OT Oath? The Principle of Nonmaleficence was added in 2000, and Social Justice was added in 2010, then combined with the Principle of Justice in 2015. But we OTs already know this; function is our bread and butter. Occupational therapy personnel also respect the applicable laws and standards related to their area of practice. Truth indicates that occupational therapy personnel in all situations should be faithful to facts and reality. This commitment refers to promises made between a provider and a client, as well as maintenance of respectful collegial and organizational relationships (Doherty & Purtilo, 2016). Rather, they are designed to be discussion-starters that help us improve our documentation skills. Occupational Therapy (OT) Degrees and Training - Verywell Health (Principle: Autonomy; key words: relationships, clients, service recipients), 2D. What Is Occupational Therapy? | Understood Patient will increase right digit strength to 3+/5 in order to open door handles without using left hand for support. Report systems and policies that are discriminatory or unfairly limit or prevent access to occupational therapy. I think as therapists, we tend to document only one part of the story. To take that metaphor one step further: If the patient is Luke Skywalker, you are Yoda. (Principle: Veracity; key words: documentation, timely, accurate, law, fraud), 3D. But, a really good notedare I say, a perfect noteshows how the two interact. Treatment diagnoses: M62.81, R27, M79.641, Patient is a right-handed male software engineer who states he had a severe increase in pain and tingling in his right hand, which led to right carpal tunnel release surgery on 11/30/18. Okay, after all of that, I bet youre ready to see an OT evaluation in action. It provides aspirational Core Values that guide occupational therapy personnel toward ethical courses of action in professional and volunteer roles. Facilitate comprehension and address barriers to communication (e.g., aphasia; differences in language, literacy, health literacy, or culture) with the recipient of service (or responsible party), student, or research participant. These Standards, categorized under the various Principles, were expanded to promote ethical practice in a variety of areas, including the use of technology for telehealth, social media, Internet use, and health records. Therefore, before making complex ethical decisions that require further expertise, occupational therapy personnel should seek out resources to assist with resolving conflicts and ethical issues not addressed in this document. (Principle: Fidelity; key words: communication, confidentiality, autonomy), 6D. (Principle: Veracity; key words: truthfulness, communication, safety, clients, service recipients), 6H. Do not abandon the service recipient, and attempt to facilitate appropriate transitions when unable to provide services for any reason. Here, youll synthesize how the patients story aligns with the objective measurements you took (and overall observations you made) during this particular treatment session. Abbreviations are obviously great for saving timebut they can make our notes cryptic (read: useless) to those outside of our specialty. Documentation is a valuable part of the the occupational therapy process, and helps to showcase the distinct value of occupational therapy. At times, conflicts between competing principles must be considered in order to make ethical decisions. Maintain the confidentiality of all verbal, written, electronic, augmentative, and nonverbal communications in compliance with applicable laws, including all aspects of privacy laws and exceptions thereto (e.g., Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). Lets admit it: we are storytellers, and we like to add details. Truth includes maintaining and upgrading professional competence and being truthful in oral, written, and electronic communications. Occupational therapy: What it is, who it treats, and more (Principle: Nonmaleficence; key words: relationships, clients, service recipients, personal, safety), 2M. Justice places value on upholding moral and legal principles and on having knowledge of and respect for the legal rights of recipients of service. Meanwhile, official results of the December 2022 PT-OT board exams may also be out earlier or later than the target release date without . (Principle: Justice; key words: policy, procedures, rules, law, roles, scope of practice), 1E. (Principle: Justice; key words: policy, procedures, rules, law, roles, scope of practice), 1D. (Principle: Autonomy; key words: occupational therapy process, intervention, communication, disclose, informed consent), 4F. (Reprinted from American Journal of Occupational Therapy Newspaper, November 1977), Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University, March). For a definition of associate members, please see the AOTA website: https://www.aota.org/AboutAOTA/Membership/Types-and-Fees.aspx. The assessment section of your OT note is what justifies your involvement in this patients care. The following paragraphs outline the changes made to the 2015 Code. An OT will usually recommend specialist equipment or suggest different ways of doing things that might help a person perform their necessary tasks. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. In one setting, I created an eval checklist, made copies of it, and used it to take notes so I always had all of the info handy. The EC decided that a major revision of the Codes organization was in order, although the majority of the content would remain unchanged. (e) Occupational therapy assistants may, with prior documented approval of the supervising . Right upper extremity: Right shoulder, elbow, forearm, digit range of motion all within normal limits on all planes. The OT Pinning Ceremony: Marking the Move from Classroom to Practice At that time, many professional associations began creating codes of ethics in response to the ethical issues being raised by the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, in which researchers studied the effects of syphilis on African-American men who had not given informed consent and were told that they were being treated for the disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). AOTA members are committed to promoting inclusion, participation, safety, and well-being for all recipients of service in various stages of life, health, and illness and to empowering all beneficiaries of service to meet their occupational needs. I chose to feature this type of note because they tend to be on the longer side, thus allowing me to showcase multiple aspects of note writing. U.S. It's time to celebrate Occupational Therapy Month, which is April in the U.S. Occupational Therapy Month is all about celebrating the holistic approach that OT has brought to healthcare. However, these types of therapy are different. Our occupational therapy notes help us track patient progress, communicate with other healthcare providers, and defend our rationale for our treatment choices. The seven Core Values provide a foundation to guide occupational therapy personnel in their interactions with others. Appendix B summarizes the history of the AOTA Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics. Do not engage in communication that is discriminatory, derogatory, biased, intimidating, insensitive, or disrespectful or that unduly discourages others from participating in professional dialogue. Although many state regulatory boards incorporate the Code or similar language regarding ethical behavior into regulations, the Code is meant to be a freestanding document that guides ethical dimensions of professional behavior, responsibility, practice, and decision making. It focuses on helping people do all the things that they want and need to do in their daily lives. Preserve, respect, and safeguard private information about employees, colleagues, and students unless otherwise mandated or permitted by relevant laws. However, while an OT will focus on the persons goals relating to carrying out their everyday activities, a physical therapist will concentrate on the persons movement goals. Once completed and reviewed on June 9, the EC sent the revised Code draft to content experts for further review and edits. The Code must be a dynamic, living document that grows and develops to complement changes in occupational therapy delivery models, technology, and society. Do not engage in any undue influences that may impair practice or compromise the ability to safely and competently provide occupational therapy services, education, or research. So, why do many OTs insist on writing things like: Continue plan of care as tolerated? Ethics | AOTA Occupational Therapist Job Description - Verywell Health (Principle: Beneficence; key words: occupational therapy process, referral, service recipients), 4L. EC work group members reorganized the Standards of Conduct from the 2015 Code into behavioral categories. This Code is not exhaustive; that is, the Principles and Standards of Conduct cannot address every possible situation. With the 2020 Code revision, the EC has grouped the revised 73 Standards of Conduct by behaviors rather than under the Principles, in order to return to the original concept of relating the Standards to desired professional behaviors, so that they are more easily accessible to the membership when using the Code.