ABSTRACT
A commonly raised concern relates to scope of practice and roles and responsibilities in systems of self-referral, a concern that is unfounded if a particular profession is permitted to accept patients without a medical referral. On many occasions, the authors have found that the quality and completeness of information provided by patients referring themselves is more enlightening than referrals from medical sources. It is both a professional and legal requirement to keep accurate patient records. In the case of self-referring patients, the therapy record may be the only record of the fact that the patient sought help for a problem. Courts tend to see a correlation between poor or inadequate recordkeeping and poor quality standards of professionalism. This might lead them to question the credibility of the physiotherapist when considering a defendant’s case. It is expected that when obtaining consent from any patient sufficient information must be provided to allow informed consent to be provided.
