Speak Out Feb 2020 DIGITAL EDITION. pdf

Ethics

The ethics mailbag features responses to questions or discussion on hot topics to help you navigate ethical practice of being a speech pathologist. We want to have a conversation about the issues you are experiencing in your daily practice and help you navigate through everyday ethical challenges. Please identify topics that are interesting and relevant to you and then have a chat with us - email us your questions, ideas and responses to our ethical scenario below! Submit your questions to ethics@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au December edition Mailbag deadline: 5 March, 2020 The ETHICS MAILBAG! The platform for members to write in with questions and thoughts on anything ethics related!

Offers, inducements & prizes... Do you know your obligations?

• Does the offer have to be used within a certain time period? • Obligations to the service beyond the life of the offer? Similarly, the Advertising Policy applies to how you communicate philanthropic activities your business may engage in, such as giving to charity. When referring to charitable donations you need to be careful to avoid subjective wording that could elicit emotional responses in the reader. It would be appropriate to state, “proceeds from this sale are donated to our local play group, if you would like to know more, here is their website…” As with all elements of the Advertising Policy, this is mirrored with the expectations that AHPRA have outlined. Having consistent expectations across health professions helps consumers understand what features are most important when choosing a health service, and will hopefully lead to them choosing the best one for their needs. Next time write in to ethics@speechpathologyaustralia.org.au about how and when to end services with a client.

Many business owners may have made New Years’ Resolutions about changing the way they market their business. Speech Pathology Australia has a number of resources and policies about how to ethically market your business, but a grey area is using offers, inducements or prizes. In general, SPA discourages the use of inducements. When making a decision about which service provider is the best fit for their needs clients should be considering clinical experience and the clinician's ability to help them achieve their goals. When inducements are used, this can muddy the waters and result in someone making a choice that perhaps is not be best clinical fit for their need. Clients who require or receive speech pathology services may be vulnerable to exploitation of their lack of understanding about what is an appropriate professional service for their individual requirements, and their desire to get the help they need. Consumers may be unaware of how to differentiate between services, and an inducement may encourage a client to choose a health service because of the offer, rather than because of the appropriateness of the services that can be delivered by that practice. If you do decide to provide an offer a terms and conditions statement needs to be provided in plain English. These should include: • Does the offer have an expiry date? • What is included in the offer?

Nadia Marussinszky Ethics Advisor Trish Johnson Manager Ethics and Professional Issues

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February 2020 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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