Seton Hill University

An Ethical Issue in my Discipline

Julie Downs

SLA 400 06 Senior Integrative Seminar

Professor Flowers

September 25th, 2019

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1. Introduction.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but

people will never forget how you made them feel.” I believe this quote from the great

Maya Angelou helps to put the importance of occupational therapy into perspective. OTs

have the power to help those in need and improve their lives forever. This is a truly

freeing feeling for patients who suffer from stroke complications, multiple sclerosis, or

another condition that may limit their function. With great care comes the responsibility

of upholding ethical standards and like any health care job occupational therapy comes

with its own code of ethics. In this assignment, I will present an ethical issue related to

this field then apply the occupational therapy code of ethics to see what the correct course

of action would be. Lastly, I will reflect on this experience.

2. An Ethical Issue

An ethical issue many occupational therapist encounter is treating patients for too long.

Imagine there is an OT working with a patient for the past 3 years however this person

has no made progress in over a year. It can be very difficult to say when treatment should

be terminated but since they are not showing any signs of improvement, therapy should

be stopped. Over this past summer, I observed several occupational therapists, my

favorite being at a skilled nursing facility. While working closely with them I noticed

they had difficulty terminating treatment for their patients even when they were showing

no signs of progress. However, they were sure to follow closely with the rules and

stopped treating when they felt no improvements were being made. Observing OTs also

let me experience the insurance side of treatment. Many times patients were not limited

by their disabilities but rather insurance companies not letting them receive treatment.

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3. The Code of Ethics

In reviewing the occupational therapy code of ethics, included in the Beneficence section,

was this code of conduct that states, “terminate occupational therapy services in

collaboration with the service recipient or responsible party when the services are no

longer beneficial” (American Journal of Occupational Therapy 3). I believe this directly

correlates with the ethical issue stated above. The code explains that treatment must be

terminated if services are no longer beneficial. By using the example and following the

ethical code, this patient would have had treatment terminated after 2 years because they

stop showing progress. An ethical dilemma that might result from this is giving the client

a therapy treatment that is either too short or too long. In addition, some OTs may falsify

information to make it appear as though a patient is showing signs of improvement when

really they are not. There are only two possible courses of action with an ethical issue

such as this is; continue over treating or terminate treatment. I believe the correct path is

to stop therapy. This ensures that the patient is not being over treated or paying for

services that are not necessary. However, prior to stopping treatment I would take the

patient though extensive testing to ensure that no signs of improvement are shown or are

possible. This will make sure the client received the proper care and that they were not

wrongfully discharged.

4. Reflection.

This assignment helped me take a deeper look into ethical issues I may encounter in my

future career. I really enjoyed reading through the code of ethics and applying it to a real

life situation. I myself have wondered about the proper procedure for treating patients

showing no signs of improvement. It is very important for me to look into these dilemmas

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and assess how I would handle various ethical situations. I become anxious thinking

about possible ethical issues I may encounter as an occupational therapist as it can be an

internal struggle between right and wrong. Everything is not always black and white

which can lead to difficult decision making. However, I strongly believe that a good

sense of morals and ethics are irreplaceable characteristics to any great health care

professional. It is vital for all professions to fully understand its code of ethics and all of

its implications.

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 Works Cited.

Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, Sept. 2015.

https://ajot.aota.org/article.aspx?articleid=2442685