Health care professions have evolved as specialist area of practise and enterprises as the growth of knowledge about health care practises increased to a point where no one person or profession could encompass all aspects of practise. This is referred to as professional identity. Each health care profession is regulated by a particular set of guidelines and code of conduct that all individual practitioners follow. These guidelines may also require the professional to register under the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) or under a specific register for their profession. For Orthotists/Prosthetist professionals, must follow the guidelines and conduct of the Australian Orthotic Prosthetic Association (AOPA). Orthotics …show more content…
and prosthetics is a profession, which encompasses both clinical and technical expertise (Australian Orthotics Prosthetic association, 2008). The following essay will discuss the definition of orthotists and prosthetist, occupational tasks professionals’ completed daily and who requires their services. It will also discuss the three key principles of the Ethical Code of conduct set out by the AOPA to guide effective and safe practises for clinicians. Finally the adoption of evidence based practises due to advancing medical technological developments. Orthotists/Prosthetists are health care professionals that work with people with illnesses and disabilities, including but not limited to leg amputees where they review their patient’s physical and functional limitations and provide orthoses and prosthesis to restore function or compensate for skeletal and muscular disabilities (Australian Orthotic Prosthetic Association, no date). The AOPA defines orthotists as an “allied health professional who is clinically responsible for the assessment of prescription, design, manufacturing and fitting of all types of orthoses to patients (International Organisation of Standards, 1989, cited by AOPA, no date, Pg 2). Prosthetists is defined as a “health professional that is clinically responsible for the assessment of prescription, design, manufacturing of prostheses to patients” (International Organisation of Standards, 1989, cited by AOPA, no date, Pg 2). In order to become an Orthotists/Prothetists in Australia you must complete a tertiary qualification in Prosthetics and Orthotics. Some examples of occupational task include prescribing, designing and fitting orthoses and prostheses, continually evaluating fit and function orthoses and prostheses, and working with other health professionals to enhance collaborative practise (AOPA, no date). The design, fitting and evaluation are done to achieve a patients personal and treatment goals as well as enhancing their quality of life and independence. While collaborative practises allows for more coordinated team reports and care plans improvements for client access. Orthotists/Prosthetists are allied health professionals that aim to improve the quality of life and independence of people with disabilities and illness through the design, manufacturing and evaluation of orthoses and prosthesis. The AOPA have created the Ethical code and professional conduct to guide the provision of safe and effective patient care in the industry.
The code of conduct consists of three key principles. “Principle 1; Responsibility to Patients” (AOPA, 2012, Pg 2) Orthotists/Prosthetists are health care professionals and must uphold their obligation and responsibilities to their patients care. Principle one ensures that professionals respect patient rights and recognise and uphold the autonomy of patients. “Principle 2; Professional responsibility” (AOPA, 2012, Pg 2), Industry professional have a responsibility to abide by the AOPA by-laws for the appropriate professional practise. Orthotists/Prosthetist are health care professionals and as such have a responsibility to their colleagues, associates and their profession to uphold. They must aim to build a reputation upon their integrity and ability. Professionals must have an understanding that personal misconduct will affect their reputation as a professional, their employer and the industry in a negative light. “Principle 3; Professional competency and standards (AOPA, 2012, Pg 3). AOPA has a set of competency standards that industry professionals must maintain and uphold. They also have an obligation to patients to acknowledge the boundaries of their competency. Professionals will maintain competency and standards by Following AOPA competency standards, completing annual ‘AOPA continuing professional development’ requirements, acknowledging their scope of practise for which they are qualified for and promoting current research, development and knowledge that the AOPA deems appropriate. The three key principles outlined by the APOPA provide patients with adequate and secure care, ensuring that clinicians provide the best available service for prosthetic/orthotic
intervention. With the advancing technological development in medicine, it is essential for health professionals to adopt evidence base practises as clinicians are increasingly required to demonstrate the cost and quality of life benefits to reimbursement agencies. There are various definitions for evidence based practises but is most commonly defined as the assimilation of the best available research and evidence and an individuals clinical expertises in decision making of patient’s care (Sockett et al, 2000 cited in Ramstrand, Brodtokorb, 2008). In prosthetics and orthotics practitioners primary goal should be well-founded treatment decisions based on best available evidence (Ramstrand, Brodtkorb, 2008). An example of evidenced based practise in orthotists department is the shift from locked Knee-Ankle-Foot-Orthotics (KAFO) to a more mobile KAFO through a new hinge system. Conditions such as, Multiple sclerosis, various types of Cerebral Palsy and femora nerve damage require orthosis intervention in order to stabilise the knee due to quadriceps weakness (Basauron, Sarikaya, Ortancil, Balbaloglu, 2009). Locked knee KAFO provides knee stability at the expense of knee flexion causing muscle atrophy and increased energy expenditure during walking. However with new research the introduction of an automatic computer controlled hinge system provides knee stability in stance and knee flexion in the swing phase that a Locked KAFO cannot provide (Tokuhara, Kameyama, Kubota, Mastsuura, Ogawa, 2000, as cited in Basauron, Sarikaya, Ortancil, Balbaloglu, 2009). In prosthetics department, the shift towards flexible ankle is an example of evidenced based practise benefiting a patient’s quality of life. According to Gailey (2008) lower limb amputees commonly suffer from secondary complications such as osteoarthritis and back pain due to over compensation for physical limitations. Development of bionic flexible ankles assist patient to walk correctly, evening the weight distribution between the prosthesis and attached limb and thus reducing secondary complications in patients. Medical technology is advancing daily, with these advancements patient quality of life grows substantially requiring clinicians to adopt evidence based practises in order for the best available care can be obtained. In summary each allied health profession has its own professional identity. Orthotists and Prosthetists are involved in the improvements of life and compensating for physical limitations in people with illness and disabilities. They must demonstrate a high level of professionalism both with personal conduct and ethical care with patients and colleagues. At all times Orthotists/Prosthetists should adhere to the guidelines set forth by the AOPA. They must always respect patient’s autonomy and privacy, build a reputation on ability and integrity, acknowledge their scope of practise and maintain the AOPA professional competency standards. They should always be looking to improve their abilities through evidence-based practises as new technologies and research become readily available in the industry. The modern health care industry will continue to develop positively as long as fundamental attributes associated with health professionals are followed, patients shall continue to reap the benefits of optimum quality health care.
Section 5.4, which is the preservation of integrity, suggests that nurses will inevitably have to deal with threats to their moral or professional integrity at some point in their careers. Nurses should do their best to maintain professional integrity when met with adversity, weather it be from uncooperative issuance companies, an unsound work environment, or from the patients themselves. When working in an unsound or unsafe work environment that violates law or the ANA code of ethics nurses must go through the proper channels to fix the problem. If a nurse feels that a procedure or treatment their patient is having conflicts with his or her own moral integrity and they cannot participate, the nurse must report they unwilling to tr...
The arguments presented in this essay take a strong stance in agreement with the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) as well as the guidelines to practice offered by The Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) therefore any matters that are discussed are in conformit...
APRNs lead staff with professionalism and provide education to patients and family members designed to engage them in patient care. Providing education to staff, patients, and family members ensures a high level of quality of care is delivered. Maintaining a balance between the patient’s autonomy and the duty to do no harm can result in an ethical dilemma at times. As patients continue to be fully involved in their care, staff must remain patient advocates and maintain professional responsibility.
The object of this essay is to discuss the role of the Assistant Practitioner. How it has emerged; how it fits into the structure and skill mix of the NHS workforce and the effect it has had on that structure. It will also outline the principles of accountability and statutory regulations that govern the day to day practice of the role.
Professionalism in the dental profession refers to our responsibilities and obligations that exists throughout our entire dental career. “Professional competence is the habitual and judicious use of communication, knowledge, technical skills, clinical reasoning, emotions, values and reflection in daily practice for the benefit of the individual and community being served (Kirk, 2007).” A health professional must be able to regulate their own behavior and comply with a code of ethics in professional practice. Fundamental principles of professionalism include primacy of patient welfare, social justice and patient autonomy (Kirk, 2007).
Formulating boundaries, while not always easy to do, is often necessary in order to protect the practitioner from allegations of malpractice, negligence, or any other type of ethical violations for that matter, including breaches in confidentiality. Unfortunately, since ethics are not clearly defined in terms of simply black-or-white or right-or-wrong, it becomes that much more difficult to determine where one line of the professional boundaries starts and another begins. The result of these inconsistencies tends to be somewhat
I was also responsible for implementing of therapies and interventions initiated by other IP members as I was expected to collaborate with my IP team to ensure positive patient outcomes. The proposed management for identified issues, for example, impaired mobility function were developed by me based on the evidence based tools used in hospitals such as Fall Risk Assessment and Management Tool. The decisions with respect to nursing care and my input in IP team care plan were influenced by not only the complex needs of the patient but also the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) nursing scope of practice, NMBA’s Code of Ethics and Conduct whilst upholding the four fundamental ethical principles: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice. I believe making ethical decisions and collaboration practice is vital to ensure that I deliver the highest quality of care and safety to the patient. I can also guarantee that the positive and desired health outcomes of the patient is obtained as a result. It appears that in the development of IP care plan, the
1. Legal, ethical and professional principle frameworks underpin all fields of nursing, and it is a requirement for all Registered Nurses to be competent and knowledgeable, act with integrity and maintain professional standards set out by Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2015). Working with multidisciplinary teams within our profession, it is important to acknowledge and recognise the way in which all the professionals are guided by law and their independent regulatory bodies. The needs of the individual patient is to be considered by doctors and nurses alike, who share professional values and are set out in the respective codes of practice, The Code (NMC, 2015) and GMC (2013).
UKCC (1994). The future of Professional Practice – The Councils Standard for Education and Practice following registration. http://www.nmc-uk.org/Documents/Standards/nmcStandardsForSpecialistEducationandPractice.pdf [Accessed 1/4/2014]
Professionalism is an adherence to a set of values comprising both a formally agreed-upon code of conduct and the informal expectations of colleagues, clients and society. The key values include acting in a patient's interest, responsiveness to the health needs of society, maintaining the highest standards of excellence in the practice of medicine and in the generation and dissemination of knowledge. In addition to medical knowledge and skills, medical professionals should present psychosocial and humanistic qualities such as caring, empathy, humility and compassion, as well as social responsibility and sensitivity to people's culture and beliefs. All these qualities are expected of members of highly trained professions.
However, we are looking at a case study where patients safety has been compromised, professionalism has been voided, lack of communication, nurses aren’t liable for their work, the duty of care has been breached and lot more issues can be discovered. Which will be incorporated in this paper. Looking at the patient Christopher Hammett
The code of ethics are a guide of principles designed to help professionals conduct business honestly and with integrity.1Most organization have codes of ethics that its members are required to follow and it lays out the rules and acceptable behavior of its the members of ethics and which actions are acceptable or not acceptable business practices. One industry where professional codes of ethics is important is health care. Most health care workers belong to an accredited organization of their profession, such American Medical Association (AMA), American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), and American Nurses Association. They may also be required to have additional certification and rules they must follow based on the laws of the individual
As a registered nurse new to the practice, I try to implement the laws and standards of practice into caring for my patients on a daily basis. I try to adhere to the scope of practice and the rules and regulations. It is my obligation as a heath care professional to do what is in the best interest of my patient while staying within these guidelines.
...guidelines and best practice protocols that we need to be familiar with, as well as of the various professional and regulatory systems, since physiotherapists are required to work in partnership with other health professionals.