The Council has produced a series of short videos aimed at physiotherapy students and practitioners, which address several common and emerging ethical practice issues.

Immediate past president of the Council Michael Ryan, FACP, who, along with former Council member Jenny Aitken, APAM, and Associate Professor Martin Mackey, APAM, played an integral role in the development of the videos, says the principal aim is to prevent complaints from arising by embedding good practice.

‘These resources are intended to educate practitioners, further protect the health and safety of the public, and help physiotherapists improve the overall quality of their service, as well as being a valuable aid for students.’

There were four topics that the Council selected to address in the videos:

• Conduct—highlighting the importance of adhering to the Code of Conduct and providing an example of the use of HICAPS.


• Social media—reminding physiotherapists of the importance of maintaining a professional relationship at all times with their patients, and being conscious of not blurring the distinction between a professional and a personal relationship, especially when using social media.


• Boundaries—addressing the importance of clear communication, appropriate contact with patients, and obtaining and recording informed consent at all times.


• Record-keeping—stressing the need for practitioners to keep current, clear, complete, and up-to-date patient records.

Current Council president Professor Darren Rivett, APAM, says the format of the videos offers a clear and concise outline of the four topic areas, as well as providing guidance for clinicians on how to respond to avoid potential issues arising.

‘The videos for each of the four topics are presented in groups of three: a scenario setup, what an incorrect response may look like, and what the correct behaviour should be. Actors are used to great effect to simulate these scenarios, which were scripted with input from physiotherapists, ensuring the videos are accurate and highly accessible.’

The videos are freely available and the Council hopes that they will become a resource for physiotherapists and other health practitioners and students, not just in New South Wales but across the country.

‘We encourage the use of the videos to educate and otherwise promote the importance of high professional standards in the delivery of healthcare,’ Darren says. ‘Our focus is on maintaining safe professional practice and minimising risk to the public.’

Click here to access the educational videos on the Council’s website