CONCLUSION
As occupational therapy practitioners assume an increasingly autonomous role in the delivery of rehabilitative services, it is of vital importance that they adhere strictly to existing laws and ethical principles. Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants are responsible for maintaining the highest standards of professional conduct. These standards arise from ethical principles, fundamental concepts by which people gauge the rightness or wrongness of behavior, and laws, which flow from ethical principles and are limited to specific situations, codified by detailed language and formulated by an authority with power to enforce them.
Ethical standards of behavior for occupational therapy professionals have been established in the AOTA Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and codified into law in the occupational therapy practice acts of individual states and other jurisdictions within the United States. Continuing competence in both ethics and law is vital for all practicing occupational therapy professionals, regardless of experience level or practice setting.
RESOURCES
AOTA Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics
Enforcement Procedures for the AOTA Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics
HIPAA for professionals (U.S. DHHS)
REFERENCES
NOTE: Complete URLs for references retrieved from online sources are provided in the PDF of this course.
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