Integrating the Core Professional Values into the Code of Ethical Conduct for Physiotherapists in Canada: A National Collaborative Initiative

To align the CPVs with each of the 33 ERs in the Code of Ethics through a national initiative.

The initiative involved all regulatory boards in Canada and the CPA.  The preliminary stage was undertaken in the fall of 2021 to explore the feasibility of the process. Six PTs with an interest in professionalism worked separately in two groups to complete the alignment of the CPVs with the ERs. In Stage 2, an online survey in French and English was distributed by regulators to all registered PTs in Canada. PTs were asked to identify one or two CPVs they felt “definitely fit” with 11 randomly assigned ERs. In Stage 3, 16 individuals including professional leaders, clinicians, educators, and regulators participated in consensus activities comprised of online meetings and a survey to finalize the matching process. Guiding principles included: all CPVs must be used at least once and 75% agreement among group members was required for the inclusion of a CPV. Finally, the Code of Ethics was revised to include the CPVs and shared broadly in early 2024.

In Stage 1, there was limited agreement in the matches between the two groups and it was recognized  that greater engagement was required. A bilingual survey was circulated by all regulatory bodies in the country to every registrant, and despite reasonable response, the matching process was incomplete. Subsequently, a series of consensus activities were undertaken by 16 invited PTs to complete the matching process and ensure that all CPVs were used at least once. In the final version of the revised document, the number of CPVs per ER ranged from 1 value to 4.  Accountability and Integrity were used most frequently and appeared in all 3 categories, while Compassion and Altruism were each used only once within the client category. 

The Code of Ethics has been revised through a collaborative national process involving extensive engagement with Canadian PTs to include all 10 CPVs and it has been endorsed by regulatory bodies across the country and the CPA. 

The identification of which CPVs are associated with each ER can increase awareness of clinicians and others, support cohesiveness across national professional documents, and inform the work of regulators, educators, and professional leaders.