Article

The recent introduction of master's level curricula for Occupational
Therapy (OT) and Physiotherapy (PT) training programs in Canada raises both
challenges and opportunities to address ethical issues during professional
training. This study evaluated the inclusion of ethics content in course
descriptions and course calendars in order to develop a preliminary understanding
of how rehabilitation ethics is taught in Canadian universities. METHOD: We
reviewed the ethics content in the online curricula of 27 Canadian rehabilitation
programs (OT & PT). Courses addressing ethical issues were identified through
keyword searches, and were then subjected to both quantitative and textual
descriptive analyses. RESULTS: The mean proportion of credits allotted to courses
that included ethics terminology was 5.9% (SD = 1.4) for OT and 6.5% (SD = 4.8)
for PT (p = 0.69). The most common terms in the course descriptions were
"ethics/ethical" followed by "legal", "professionalism", "deontology" and
"regulatory". Textual analysis revealed eight course topics, the most frequent
being: standards of practice, ethical decision-making, clinical courses and
mediation/communication. CONCLUSION: With the growing recognition and status of
OT and PT in the healthcare system, and corresponding shifts in how professionals
are being trained, it is crucial to assess and reflect upon the place accorded to
and manner of teaching ethics. Implications for Rehabilitation Ethics training in
rehabilitation programs With the evolving recognition of OT and PT professions
within the healthcare system, and corresponding shifts in how future
professionals are trained, it is crucial to assess the place accorded to teaching
ethics. In Canadian OT and PT programs, ethics content is most commonly included
in broad courses related to standards of practice and not in specific ethics
courses. Careful attention is needed to ensure that OT and PT students receive
sufficient ethics training that is well aligned with their future practice
context to support them to competently address the ethical issues that they will
encounter in clinical practice. In addition, OT and PT professionals would
benefit from the development of continuing education activities that target
ethical issues relevant to their practice.

Langue : ANGLAIS