Development of Ethical Competence Self-assessment Tool for Korean Physical Therapists

As society evolves, healthcare professionals face increasing ethical conflicts. Physical therapists, tasked with patient well-being, encounter unique dilemmas that require strong professional ethics. With rising public health standards, there is a growing expectation for these therapists to exhibit high ethical awareness.

This study aimed to develop a self-assessment tool to evaluate the ethical competence of Korean physical therapists, assess current ethical levels, and provide data for programs aimed at improving this competence.

An eight-step process for tool development and evaluation was implemented. Data were collected through an online survey of physical therapists. To ensure effectiveness, item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and internal consistency reliability tests were conducted.

The development process began with 70 items, which were refined to 48 through expert validation. An online survey with 219 physical therapists revealed five key factors explaining 65.4% of the variance, with factor loadings between 0.52 and 0.85. The internal consistency of the tool, measured by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.90, indicating acceptable reliability. The final assessment tool comprised 18 items.

This study successfully developed a validated self-assessment tool for measuring the ethical competence of physical therapists in Korea. The final 18-item tool, utilizing a 4 point Likert scale, is valid and reliable. It serves as a foundational resource for future research and educational initiatives aimed at improving ethical standards among Korean physical therapists.