Back in 1935, the American Physiotherapy Association—the forerunner of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)—issued a code of ethics.1 It stated, in part:
Diagnosing, stating the prognosis of a case and prescribing treatment shall be entirely the responsibility of the physician. Any assumption of this responsibility by one of our members shall be considered unethical.
Yes, the profession has come a long way in the intervening 83 years. And physical therapists (PTs) with expertise in ethics say that with health care rapidly changing, the profession must stay ahead of the curve when it comes to ethics.