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Developing Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Professionals: A Qualitative Study

Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

1 . PT, Ph.D. Department of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Ethics, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Ethics, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranDepartment of Physiotherapy, Tehran University of Medical

4 Associate professor, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Codes of ethics are a set of moral standards based on a value system widely accepted by members of a profession. In order to choose the right course of action and resolve potential ethical challenges, these codes will need to be developed so that ethical values can be identified and prioritized. Medical ethics covers all areas of medicine, and surely, rehabilitation is not an exception. This study aims to codify the ethics of the rehabilitation profession while considering the cultural and religious issues in Iran. For this purpose, we used a qualitative research method, including literature review, questionnaire, targeted interviews, content analysis, group discussion, and code extraction.
The results were categorized into seven sections: “respect and empathy”, “autonomy”, “offering responsible care and reducing suffering”, “doing the right thing”, “beneficence”, “privacy and confidentiality”, and “social responsibility”.
The development of ethical codes for rehabilitation determines moral norms in order to protect the rights of people who need rehabilitation services. These codes can also be used as a guide to the ethical challenges of the profession.
 

Keywords

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Journal of Rehabilitation Sciences & Research
Volume 7, Issue 4
December 2020
Pages 147-154
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