Ethical Practice with Communications: A Professional Challenge

Course Description: As clinical professionals, we are responsible for upholding the code of ethics and standards of practice from our national associations of ASHA, AOTA and APTA, as well as those of our respective state associations.  In addition, we are held accountable to our work setting organizations’ policies and procedures which are often federally mandated, to include additional ethical requirements and responsibilities to work within the given guidelines.  When all these are combined and added to the requirements for electronic health records, online clinical documentation, cloud-based storage systems, as well as the expectation to promptly share clinical updates and patient functional status with remote caregivers and family members, the challenges of layered rules and ethical decisions can be daunting. Therefore, healthcare providers have found that meeting the expectations for prompt information and many communication processes often challenge their ability to maintain confidentiality and patient privacy.  This course reviews the significant related risks for clinicians within the realm of communications, which could lead to actions such as a disciplinary investigation at work, a federal investigation of a possible HIPAA violation, a disciplinary investigation by the state licensing board, and a civil lawsuit filed by an aggrieved patient.  Recommendations are shared to safeguard the clinician from such risks, with guidelines and an ethical model of practice in a fast-paced and technologically advancing environment.