Week 3 Flashcards
(21 cards)
What are the 3 Codes of Conduct which all radiation therapists must be familiar with?
MRPBA Code of Conduct for MRS Practitioners
ASMIRT Guidelines Professional Conduct for MRS Practitioners
ASMIRT Code of Ethics
What is the role of MRS Codes of Conduct?
These aim to assist and support radiation therapists to deliver high quality patient care within an ethical framework, whilst displaying high standards of professional behaviour
What is the difference between the MRPBA (AHPRA) and ASMIRT Codes of Conduct?
MRPBA: supports RT to deliver a high quality of care and includes behavioural standards to minimise public risk
While, ASMIRT Guidelines focus on assisting RT’s to deliver high quality care (maintaining professionalism, working within your scope)
What are the 3 aspects of conceptual framework that we draw on when making ethical decisions?
Code of Conduct
Personal beliefs and values
Other experience
What are the ASMIRT Guidelines Professional Conduct for MRS Practitioners
outlines the importance of:
- working within your scope of practice
- being personally accountable for your work and professional conduct
- maintaining effective and collaborative working relationships with colleagues
- demonstrating respect for a patient’s opinions and decisions
- maintaining patient confidentiality
What are the 4 value statements of the ASMIRT code of ethics?
- (RESPECT) Members of ASMIRT will respect individuals’ needs, value, culture and vulnerability in the provision of services
- (INFORMED CHOICES) Members of ASMIRT accept the rights of individuals to make informed choices
- (CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROFESSIONAL JUDGEMENT) maintain confidentiality of information and will use professional judgement where there is a need to share information for the therapeutic benefit and safety of an individual.
- (ACCOUNTABILITY)
Members of ASMIRT are accountable and responsible for their actions in their role as an RT
What are the policies which MRS practitioners must comply with when using social media?
National law
MRPBA code of conduct
Guidelines for advertising regulated health services
MRS practitioners should only post material that:
-Complies with professional obligations
-Complies with confidentiality and privacy obligations
-Do not discuss patients in a social media forum
-Do not post pictures of a procedure online
-Do not post case studies online or sensitive information which would allow a patient to be identified without consent
-Do not make unsubstantiated claims
-Present information in an un‐biased, evidence based context
(violates MRPBA’s social media policy)
What are the guidelines for private, closed group social media?
It is irrelevant whether you posted it in a private, closed group or if it is available in the public domain. The same rules apply either way
-remember that information on social media can end up in the public domain and stay there (irrespective of your intent at the time of posting)
What is the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) responsible for?
Responsible for the implementation of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme across Australia
What are the objectives of the AHPRA scheme?
Help keep the public safe
education and training
assessment of overseas qualifications
access to services provided by health practitioners
What is the Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia (MRPBA)?
Is one of 15 boards that sit under AHPRA
Functions include:
Developing standards, codes and guidelines for the MR profession
Approving accreditation standards and accredited courses of study
Registering medical radiation practitioners and students
Handling notifications, complaints, investigations and disciplinary hearings
Assessing overseas‐trained practitioners who want to practice in Australia
What are the Mandatory AHPRA Notifications?
Practitioners, employers and education providers are all mandated by law to report notifiable conduct to prevent the public being placed at risk of harm (this applies to reporting about yourself and/or others)
What is the Criteria for Mandatory AHPRA Notifications?
-reasonable belief that the behaviour constitutes notifiable conduct
-serious instance of sub-standard practice or impairment by a practitioners that places members of the public at risk
Public = persons that access the practitioners’ regulated health services or the wider community which could potentially have been placed at risk of harm by the practitioners’ services’
What is the protocol of AHPRA notification if the risk is only to the individual not the public?
- if there is no risk to the public (and the risk is only to the practitioner) the the threshold for making a mandatory notification will not be reached
e. g. practitioner has a condition (either physical or cognitive) which poses no risk to the public, and is fully compliant with their treatment. This will effectively address any risk to the practitioner and poses no risk to the public
What is a voluntary notification to AHPRA?
- A notification can be made at any time by a practitioner regarding behaviour that they feel poses a risk to the public
- Patients can also make a voluntary notification about a practitioner at any time
What is the role of students and notifying AHPRA?
Students are also registered under the National Law (this applies to MRS students)
- An education provider can make a notification about an impaired student
- Students are not required to make a mandatory notification
What is the protection for those making a notification?
Section 237 of the National Law protects practitioners, employers and education providers who make a notification in good faith, i.e. it is well intentioned and without malice
- Provides protection from criminal, civil and/or administrative liability, including defamation
- Action may be taken if a notification is frivolous
What are examples of notifiable conduct?
-A practitioner is treating patients whilst under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
(The conduct is notifiable as their capacity to exercise reasonable care and skill is impaired)
-Practitioner has engaged in sexual misconduct with a patient (this is still an issue even if the patient has given consent)
-making sexual remarks
-touching patients in a sexual way
-engaging in sexual behaviour in front of a patient
Which section of the national law defines the physical or mental impairment of a practitioner from doing their job?
Section 5 of the National Law defines impairment as ‘a person who has a physical or mental impairment, disability, condition or disorder (including substance abuse or dependence) that detrimentally affects or is likely to detrimentally affect the persons’ capacity to practice the profession’
e.g. illness that causes cognitive impairment
What happens when a notification is made?
QLD: mandatory notifications regarding practitioner’s performance is made to the Office of the Health Ombudsman
- complain is assessed (information gathered, expert makes assessment of whether further action is required)
- this process must be completed within 30 days of beginning the assessment process (can be extended a further 30 days for complex cases)
- Making a decision (if the complaint is taken further: facilitate local resolution, conciliate the complaint, refer the complaint to the registration board, formally investigate the complaint, take immediate action against the provider) (a combination of these)
