Approved at the FS Board meeting on November 13, 2013 Approved at the FS Annual General Meeting on March 27, 2014

The Code of Ethics of the Icelandic Association of Physiotherapists

COMMITTEE:

Article 1. The Ethics Committee of the Icelandic Association of Physiotherapists operates in accordance with the Act of the Icelandic Association of Physiotherapists and Act No. 34/2012 on Healthcare Professionals.

The role of the Ethics Committee is:

1. to discuss disputes between a physical therapist and his client to the extent that such disputes may be contrary to the company's code of ethics.
2. to deal with a complaint against a physiotherapist from a party due to conduct that may violate the company's code of ethics

Article 2. The composition of the committee is governed by Article 12, Paragraph 2 of the company's statutes. The Ethics Committee elects its own chairman and divides its tasks among itself.

Article 3. The Ethics Committee shall keep a record of proceedings. The progress of matters pursuant to Articles 10-14 shall be recorded therein. The record shall be kept by the chairman of the Ethics Committee.

Article 4. The Ethics Committee shall maintain confidentiality regarding personal information in communications received by it.

Article 5. The eligibility of committee members to participate in the handling of an individual case is governed by the rules of Chapter II of the Administrative Procedure Act, No. 37/1993. A committee member may also, for valid reasons, withdraw from the committee at his or her own request during the discussion of individual cases. In these cases, an alternate member shall take a seat on the committee.

PROCEDURE:

Article 6. Everyone is authorized to refer cases to the Ethics Committee.

Article 7. Parties to a case may appoint their representative to represent their interests before the committee. A written authorization may be required for representation before the committee.

Article 8. A report to the Ethics Committee shall be in writing and shall state the name, social security number and address of the person submitting the report. It shall also state which physiotherapist is involved, the circumstances that are the reason for the report, which articles of the Code of Ethics are considered to have been violated and what claims are made. The report shall be accompanied by the evidence on which it is based. The report shall be signed by the party or his representative. All documents shall be submitted to the committee in 3 copies.

Article 9. The Ethics Committee may dismiss a case if more than two years have passed since the event occurred, the event is minor in the opinion of the Ethics Committee and/or the evidence or testimony is insufficient.

Article 10. If the complaint is not dismissed pursuant to Article 9, the matter will proceed in the following process:

A. The opposing party shall be immediately notified by registered letter that a report has been received by the Ethics Committee. This shall include all aspects of the report. The Ethics Committee shall inform the complainant and the opposing party of the Code of Ethics.

B. The deadline for the other party to respond to the Ethics Committee is four weeks from the date of receipt of the registered letter. The Chairman of the Ethics Committee may extend the deadline if there are special reasons.

C. The parties shall be given the opportunity to submit further written information concerning the matter in question, not to exceed two letters from each party. The parties shall be informed of all the matters raised in these letters. The deadline for the parties to respond to these letters is 15 days from the date of receipt of the registered letter from the Ethics Committee. The Committee may request or obtain further documentation from the parties.

D. The committee takes a position on the evidence of the validity of statements and documents made that are significant for the outcome of the case. If a case contains evidence that is difficult to resolve during the course of the case, or if the case is otherwise not sufficiently informed, the committee may dismiss the case. If a case contains a dispute that does not fall within the committee's jurisdiction, it dismisses the case.

The parties to the case shall generally be presented with the case documents as they are received, unless this is clearly unnecessary or justified reasons prevent this in the opinion of the committee, cf. Article 17 of the Administrative Procedure Act. 2 3 If the parties to the case do not comply with the recommendation for written statements or comments within the prescribed period, they shall be repeated with a new period, which shall generally not be longer than one week. If the party initiating the case does not comply with the committee's recommendation for the submission of documents, it may dismiss the case. If a physiotherapist does not comply with the committee's recommendation for a written opinion or the submission of other documents, the committee may base its decision on the submitted documents and other information that it itself obtains about the case. The committee may, at any time during the handling of the case, seek a settlement with the parties. The proceedings shall be in writing.

Article 11. The Ethics Committee is authorized to seek external assistance, such as legal assistance, if necessary. The Association of Physiotherapists shall cover such costs with the approval of the Board.

Article 12. The conclusion of the Ethics Committee shall be based on the will of the majority of the Committee and shall be reasoned. A minority of the Committee may express a separate opinion. The conclusion of the Ethics Committee may be in the following ways:

A. Refusal (cf. Article 9)

B. That there has been no violation of the code of ethics for physical therapists.

C. That there has been a violation of the Code of Ethics for Physical Therapists. If the majority of the committee concludes that there has been a violation of the Code of Ethics, the matter shall be referred to the Board of Directors of the Association, which shall determine sanctions.

Article 13. On the conclusion of cases

A. The Ethics Committee's report is sent in writing by registered letter to both parties and the company's board of directors.

B. The report shall state: The committee's conclusion and reasoning. Deadline for reopening the case.

C. Either party to the case or the board may request that the case be reopened if new evidence emerges regarding the case or if a procedural defect is discovered.

D. A request for a new trial must be submitted within four weeks from the date of the postal receipt of the registered letter or four weeks after new information becomes available.

E. A request for a new trial can only be made once.

RESULTS:

Article 14. The committee's rulings shall be issued as soon as possible after the collection of data is deemed to be complete and no later than six months after the submission is received. The board may grant an exemption from this provision if special reasons exist. It shall be stated whether all committee members agree on the conclusion. If the committee disagrees with the conclusion, it shall be stated on which points the committee members disagree and it shall also be stated which committee members disagree with the majority.

Article 15. The Ethics Committee is authorized to publish its findings on the association's website, in the Physiotherapist's Journal or Newsletter, but anonymity shall be maintained.

Approved at the FS board meeting on 13.11.2013

For presentation at the upcoming FS annual meeting on March 27, 2014.

Unnur Pétursdóttir, chairwoman of the Icelandic Women's Federation.