Professional Values: Results of a Scoping Review and Preliminary Canadian Survey

Abstract

Purpose: Physiotherapists in Canada do not have an agreed-on list of core professional values. The purpose of this study was to identify physiotherapy values using a scoping review and to preliminarily identify the core professional values important to Canadian physiotherapists. Method: We undertook (1) a comprehensive scoping review of the primary and grey literature and (2) a cross-sectional survey of Canadian physiotherapists attending the 2016 Canadian Physiotherapy Association Congress. We conducted Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, and CINAHL database and Internet searches to identify peer-reviewed and grey literature. Survey participants were asked to list two professional values that guided their practice. Thematic and content analyses were used to analyze the results of both activities. We combined the results of the scoping review and the survey. Results: A total of 23 Web sites and 11 primary articles were retained from the search; 88 physiotherapists participated in the survey. A final list of 10 professional values (accountability, advocacy, altruism, compassion and caring, equity, excellence, integrity, patient and client centred, respect, and social responsibility) was drawn up after analyzing the scoping review and survey. Conclusions: This study describes the first steps in the process of identifying a set of core professional values for Canadian physiotherapists. Although many of values identified in this survey aligned with values published in the literature, some were unique, and further investigation is required.