Assimilation of the Patient Rights Law and Code of Ethics into Israeli Physical Therapy Services

Abstract

The ethical conduct of physical therapists is usually based on intuition rather than on theoretical knowledge. This study aimed to examine to what degree rules of ethics anchored in the Patient Rights Law and in the Physical Therapy Code of Ethics in Israel have been assimilated in physical therapy (PT) services. A qualitative study based on personal semi structured interviews with national directors of PT services in Israel was conducted. The directors think that the ethical conduct of physical therapists is based mainly on intuition and on self-perceived ethics rather than on learned principles. In their opinion, the Patient Rights Law and the PT Code of Ethics, as well as the activity of the Ethics Committee of PT, have probably contributed to raising awareness of the need to promote the issue of ethics, but there are still no structured training programs on this topic in any of the Health Maintenance Organizations. (HMOs). Collaboration between the Ethics Committee of PT and representatives of the clinical field and of academe has the potential to advance the knowledge, thinking and discussion on ethics within all the community in all PT facilities. Part of this process is the assimilation of ethical rules in the daily practice of physical therapists.