Professional Ethics in Physiotherapy: Existing Challenges and Flaws

Physiotherapy requires close and prolonged contact of physical therapist with patient during several sessions. For this reason, many associations in other countries have formulated code of ethics for physiotherapy which referred to the most important responsibilities in this field. Despite formulation of ethical codes in many countries, these codes have not yet been outlined in Iran. Therefore, this research has been conducted to identify the physiotherapy ethical imperfections and challenges and in Iran. This study was a qualitative research in which methods of interview with authorities and focused group discussions were used. Participants in this study were 15 persons, who were purposefully selected from four professional groups including physicians, physical therapists, specialists on medical ethics and directors of physiotherapy centers. After data saturation, texts of interviews were typed verbatim. These texts were repeatedly studied by the interviewer and their results were 187 raw and rudimentary sentences. Extracted data were analyzed, reviewed and revised by the authorities on the subject and eventually the data were arranged in 4 domains of patient, physician, physical therapist, and treatment center. Findings of this research indicate the ethical challenges present in our country in the field of physiotherapy in four domains. To promote professional ethics in physiotherapy, all four parties should be aware of their rights and duties and follow ethical principles and regulations.