JCPSLP Vol 20 No 3 November 2018

Useful on-line resources • Speech Pathology Australia Ethics Resources https:// www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/SPAweb/ Members/Ethics/SPAweb/Members/Ethics/Ethics. aspx?hkey=f825eff3-d6f5-4d65-8b6b-0d59d8414b20 • Speech Pathology Australia Evidence Based Practice Resources https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org. au/SPAweb/Resources_For_Speech_Pathologists/ Evidence_Based_Practice/SPAweb/Resources_for_ Speech_Pathologists/Evidence_Based_Practice/ Evidence_Based_Practice.aspx?hkey=79baa898-7e00- 4258-b810-bbae614dc3a2 • SpeechBITE http://speechbite.com/ • SpeechBITE Rating Training Program http://speechbite. com/rating-research-quality/outline-rating-training- program/ • Trust it or Trash it – a decision-making framework http:// www.trustortrash.org/ Suze Leitão is a speech pathologist, lecturer and researcher in the School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology at Curtin University. Suze is the chair of the Speech Pathology Australia Ethics Board. Correspondence to: Suze Leitão School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University email: S.Leitao@exchange.curtin.edu.au phone: + 61 8 9266 7620

• Are there any opportunity costs for my client? • What do I need to think about when talking to clients/ parents about this therapy approach? These questions more directly ask clinicians to consider ethical implications of undertaking a therapy approach – in particular the notion of opportunity cost. What alternatives might be available if this therapy approach is not selected? What is the balance of risk and benefit to the client? Making the decision: Clinical, professional and ethical practice • Will this therapy approach benefit my clients? • Would it be considered it ethical to use it? • What alternatives are available? (Have I discussed these with my client?) • What data should I collect to provide evidence that the approach is working for my client? • On balance, should I adopt this approach? • What is the clinical, professional and ethical bottom line? Most decisions are not clear cut, and we come to a decision that we consider best for our clients based on our clinical and professional skills, drawing on our ethical reasoning. To inform this decision, there should be an expectation that the use of the therapy approach does not give rise to ethical issues, that there is sufficient information to suggest that it may work for the client, and that appropriate data collection procedures are implemented to monitor the impact on the particular client.

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JCPSLP Volume 20, Number 3 2018

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au