Medical Paternalism in Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is a health care profession, which focuses on enhancing and restoring functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. This profession treats people with any kind of functional disabilities and improves their independence in activity of daily living through specially designed muscular skeletal exercises, massages and various types of modalities. One of the ethical dilemmas that has been presenting in not only physical therapy profession, but in other related professions as well, involves the interaction of patient and the therapists. In many instances, nurses, physical therapists or doctors know the conditions of the patients better than the patients themselves. Most of the physical therapists are trained to adhere the principles of beneficence. They are trained to believe that they must do what will benefit the patients' the health most and not harm them physically or psychologically. Sometimes patients may not want to receive or participate in the treatment session for various reasons. However, since most of the physical therapists know what needs to be done to improve patients' condition and desire their patient to recover as soon as possible, they may have to push, in some case, even force their patients to receive treatments.

This type of ethical dilemma is common in physical therapy since many of the treatments involve patients to actively participate in the treatment instead of just passively receiving treatments as in surgery or massage therapy. According to a study done by UK National Health service, out of 361 physical and occupational therapists, only around one- third of them reported no ethical dilemma in the past six months (Barnitt, 1998). I...

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...lp each other to reach that goal, then surely a patient would feel a sense of autonomy and dignity.

As a future physical therapist, I believe that practicing a certain degree of paternalism is necessary. The degree how much I practice paternalism will depend on my future work setting. If I happen to be in an outpatient setting, then I can be a educator and therapist to my patients, and help them to achieve whatever goal they want to achieve while maximizing the regaining of their physical functionality. But if I happen to be in an facility where I have to treat mentally challenged people, then practicing paternalism with a strong sense of beneficence will be the best option I have. Patneralism is necessary in physical therapy, but it will not do harm to both patients and therapists if it being practiced with good intentions for the patients and wisdom.