Practice Standards

The standards of practice in Nova Scotia define the minimum expectations for professional performance, outline registrant obligations and provide a benchmark for quality care.

Model Practice Standards

Advertising and Marketing

The physiotherapist engages in advertising, marketing and promotional activities in a manner that is truthful, accurate, and verifiable and does not engage in or allow advertising, marketing, and promotional activities that are deceptive or misleading.

Assessment, Diagnosis, Treatment

The physiotherapist demonstrates proficiency in client assessment, physiotherapy diagnosis, and treatments to deliver quality, safe, client-centered physiotherapy services.

Boundary Violations

The physiotherapist acts with integrity and maintains appropriate professional boundaries with clients, colleagues, students and others.

Communication

The physiotherapist communicates professionally, clearly, effectively, and in a timely manner to support and promote quality physiotherapy services.

Concurrent/Collaborative Care

The physiotherapist collaborates with health-care providers and others to provide safe, effective, quality, concurrent care, when indicated by the client’s health-care needs and preferences.

Conflict of Interest

The physiotherapist must identify, disclose, and avoid or otherwise mitigate any real, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest.

Continuing Competence

The physiotherapist practices within their level of competence and actively pursues continuous lifelong learning to maintain competence in existing and emerging areas of their physiotherapy practice.

Documentation

The physiotherapist maintains client records that are accurate, legible and complete, written in a timely manner.

Dual Practice

The physiotherapist clearly identifies instances when they are providing non-physiotherapy services.

Duty of Care

The physiotherapist has a duty of care to their clients, and an obligation to provide for continuity of care whenever a therapeutic relationship with a client has been established.

Evidence-Informed Practice

The physiotherapist engages in evidence-informed practice in physiotherapy service delivery.

Funding, Fees and Billing

The physiotherapist is responsible for ensuring that the fees charged for physiotherapy services and products are transparent and justifiable, to enable clients to make informed choices.

Infection Control

The physiotherapist complies with current infection prevention and control best practices to support the health and safety of clients, health-care providers, themselves, and others.

Informed Consent

The physiotherapist obtains clients’ ongoing informed consent for the delivery of physiotherapy services.

Privacy and Record Retention

The physiotherapist maintains client privacy and confidentiality in compliance with the requirements of the privacy legislation relevant to their practice.

Risk Management and Safety

The physiotherapist promotes and maintains a safe environment for clients, health-care providers, themselves, and others.

Titles, Credentials, and Specialty Designations

The physiotherapist uses their title and other credentials to clearly identify themselves to clients, other health-care providers, and the public.

Virtual Care

Physiotherapists incorporating virtual care in the delivery of quality, effective physiotherapy services do so in accordance with client preferences, and as indicated and appropriate to address client needs.

Nova Scotia Practice Standards