A home-care physiotherapist is treating an elderly patient,Mrs. Biggs, for an acute exacerbation of
her rheumatoidarthritis, which affects her overall mobility. She lives alone andmakes personal and
financial decisions independently. Albert,her son, does not live with her, but is frequently in the
homeduring the sessions. The physiotherapist usually brings hermorning coffee along, and as time
progresses, she starts tobring coffee forMrs. Biggs and Albert. The physiotherapistinstructs Mrs.
Biggs in the correct application of the exerciseprogram and use of assistive devices. Over several
months, thefrequency of visits diminishes as the physiotherapistdetermines that Mrs. Biggs' ability to
follow the treatment planindependently improves.
QUESTIONS 1 to 4 refer to this case.
1. Between visits, Albert has called the physiotherapist toprovide an update on his mother's
progress. Today, he calls toinquire about his mother's status and how compliant she isbeing with the
exercise program. What is the most appropriateaction for the physiotherapist to take?
1.Provide Albert with all the information he requests.
2. Invite Albert to attend the next scheduled appointment with
Mrs.Biggs.3 . R e a s s u r e A l b e r t t h a t h i s m o t h e r i s d o i n g w e l l w i t h
h e r e x e r c i s e program.
4 . S u g g e s t t h a t A l b e r t s p e a k s t o h i s m o t h e r d i r e c t l y . ANSWER:
4.Suggest that Albert speaks to his mother directly.
CONTENT DOMAIN:
Confidentiality/Privacy
REFERENCES:
Briefing Note for Physiotherapists PrivacyRequirements in Ontario; Code of Ethics; Professional
MisconductRegulation
RATIONALE:
The Personal Health InformationProtection Act (PHIPA), the Personal Information Protection
andElectronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), the College’s ProfessionalMisconduct Regulation and the
Code of Ethics indicate that a physiotherapist may not provide information about a patient to
a person other than the patient or his or her authorized representativeexcept with the consent of the
patient or his or her authorizedrepresentative. Answers 1, 2 and 3 do not support this principle.
2. Just as the physiotherapist is preparing to discharge Mrs.Biggs from her care, Albert calls the
physiotherapist to raiseconcerns about new and emerging challenges his mother hasidentified in the
past week. He feels strongly that morephysiotherapy is warranted. What should the
physiotherapistdo?
1. Advise Albert that the physiotherapist cannot participate in adiscussion related to his mother's
physiotherapy program.
2. Probe Albert for more details and assure him that further assessment will be conducted at
the next visit.3. Assure Albert that his mother can continue to receive physiotherapy treatment for as
long as he feels it is required.4. Reassure Albert that his mother is ready to continue on her ownand
will be discharged from physiotherapy soon.
ANSWER:
1. Advise Albert that the physiotherapist cannot participate in a discussion related to his mother's
physiotherapy program.
CONTENT DOMAIN:
Confidentiality/Privacy
REFERENCES:
Briefing Note for Physiotherapists PrivacyRequirements in Ontario; Code of Ethics; Professional
Misconduct