The Knowledge of Ethical Values in Physical Therapy Practice amongst Physical Therapists

It is a survey conducted to know the ethical knowledge in physical therapists. Knowledge of ethics is important amongst the physical therapists as they are expected to have thorough knowledge, professionalism, good skills and polite behavior to achieve a good rapport with the patient because this is a field where we deal with the patient hands-on. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has delineated several documents regarding core values of a physical therapist. The core values of code of ethics include-Altruism, Integrity, Accountability, Compassion, Excellence, Professional duty, and Social responsibility. The lack of awareness on ethics amongst the physical therapist is noted based on the following articles: ‘Moral Reasoning among Physical Therapists: Results of the Defining Issues Test’ it concluded that the post conventional moral reasoning of the physical therapist was much lower than other health care workers, ‘Levels of Professionalism among Physical Therapists in India- A National Cross-Sectional Survey’ concluded that the professionalism among Indian physical therapists was moderate, and altruism and compassion levels were also low and ‘Perception on physical therapy students and professionals about the importance of professional ethic’ they overall concluded that professional code of ethic should be included in academic and clinical practice. In this study the participants are selected on the basis of their clinical experience and hence it is administered on post graduates’ students, clinical practitioners and academician in and around city of Anand and Vadodara Gujarat state India. The research is to ascertain the knowledge of ethics amongst the participants with their voluntary involvement.