Scott Shelly and Ashlee Sherman of Barry Nilsson explain why effective communication with patients is essential for physiotherapists and how to avoid breaching professional obligations.

In this second of a three part examination into professional boundaries, the APA National Professional Standards Panel discuss some ‘signs and symptoms’ that could indicate you or a colleague may be slipping from a benign boundary crossing to a more serious boundary violation scenario. More importantly, they provide some advice on how to ‘treat’ these signs and symptoms before they become injurious to your personal and professional life.

Finding yourself attracted to another person is a normal psychological and physiological occurrence.

By managing professional boundaries, you can avoid going down the slippery slope of boundary violations.

Boundaries such as those that form the perimeter of a football oval or basketball court are clearly visible, their intentions understood by players from both teams, the spectators—and sometimes even the umpires.

The APA National Professionals Standards Panel, in collaboration with the NSW Physiotherapy Council, examine the boundaries between physiotherapist and past patient. 

Maintaining appropriate professional relationships when working with patients is an ethical requirement of all physiotherapists. The Physiotherapy Board of Australia (PBA) is unequivocal in its guidelines with respect to preserving clear professional boundaries with current patients.

The professional standards of physiotherapy practitioners—which are based on the expectations of the community and peers—form the cornerstone of quality patient care. Taking steps to ensure not only the quality but also the safety of patient care has been brought in to focus in light of the global Me Too Movement (#metoo).

Professional boundaries protect both patients and physiotherapists. Scott Shelly and Ashlee Sherman of Barry Nilsson outline the risks and explain how to prevent boundary violations from occurring.
 

In this third article of a three-part series examining the topic of professional boundaries, the issue of inappropriate patient sexual behaviour is explored by APA National Professional Standards Panel members Ian Cooper (chair), Alison Smith, Susan Coulson and Dianna Howell, and APA Policy and Advocacy Officer Lowana Williams.