Ethics in Telerehabilitation

Telehealth is a broad umbrella of modalities that includes nonclinical and clinical services. Concerns about privacy, patient autonomy, universal accessibility, and professional secrecy are among the ethical considerations surrounding the development of telerehabilitation. Both reminding practitioners of the ethical framework that governs medical practice and supplying information to stakeholders can promote the ethical growth of telerehabilitation. Ethical considerations are often glossed over and without explanation in telerehabilitation guidelines in the developing projects. Hence, it is essential to examine the ethical considerations raised by telerehabilitation and to devise solutions to address these concerns. This is crucial for guiding telerehabilitation programs toward ethical practices in these areas. The three most important ethical guidelines for telerehabilitation are accountability for covering potential losses from the therapist or treatment facility, professional commitment, and privacy and security. The lack of universal ethical standards poses a significant obstacle to the widespread adoption of telerehabilitation. Clearly defined ethical guidelines are imperative in this sphere, ensuring that telerehabilitation technologies adhere to specific criteria for effective and responsible implementation. Ethical concerns such as informed consent, privacy, security, and social media norms are highlighted in recent publications by the American Counseling Association (ACA, 2014), the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (2017), and the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC, 2016a). The recommendations for safeguarding patients’ ethical components in online and mobile applications are having informed consent, providig patient access to telerehabilitation, identity verification, data ownership, and prevention hacking by third parties and precautions of privacy and security.