Ethical and legal issues related to telepractice.
The subject of speech-language pathologists providing services over a distance via telepractice is attracting the attention of the profession. The new service delivery model will challenge us to exploit its potential without violating legal constraints or compromising our affirmative ethical responsibilities. This article provides an overview of the implications of current state licensure laws on telepractice and a look at the issues of competence, standard of care, privacy, informed consent, and the use of support personnel. Several principles are offered to guide the practitioner and additional resources are suggested.
Denton
David R
DR
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Rockville, Maryland 20852, USA. ddenton@asha.org
D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016235:American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; D032781:Codes of Ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003219:Confidentiality / Q000941:ethics; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000941:ethics; D007351:Insurance, Liability / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D008004:Licensure / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D011361:Professional Competence; D013066:Speech-Language Pathology / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States