Conflict of interest in clinical practice and, more specifically, in speech therapy is a phenomenon emerging due to the presence of varying perspectives of personal and professional nature. These aspects do not correlate with each other and lead to the need to balance employees’ responsibilities in developing solutions and their private concerns (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d.a). Subsequently, the problem is exacerbated by the latter’s influence on judgment disrupting the activity in the workplace.
Conflict of interest in speech therapy practice is a vital condition considered when performing duties. For instance, in a school setting, this requirement can be conditional upon the need for persuading parents to benefit from the provided services for their children while rendering them in a private clinic. This controversial measure can be determined by the absence of the necessary means for this purpose. It should be underpinned by the agreement of the educational facility and in alignment with public employment law (Euben, 2020). Another example of similar occasions which should be regulated ethically is recommending devices to students. This case is complicated by the possibility of focusing on the fees a specialist receives. This probability is to be compensated by referring to the need for informed consent in any decisions (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d.b). In my experience in the Los Angeles school district, having a gap year is frequently an optimal solution when the situations cannot be otherwise addressed. Thus, proper judgment is achieved only when standard practices are implemented with regard to official publications.
In turn, the approach of different systems, such as schools, private clinics, and the ASHA board of ethics, to the challenge varies depending on the guidelines they follow. In the case of the former two institutions, they are less rigid and more autonomous than the ASHA team’s initiatives due to the absence of corresponding documents regulating procedures (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d.c). As a result, conflict of interest as applied to speech therapy is not effectively resolved unless single projects developed by facilities happen to be effective enough on their own.
References
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.a). Issues in ethics: Conflicts of professional interest. Web.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.b). Issues in ethics: Obtaining clients for private practice from primary place of employment. Web.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.c). Principles of ethics IV. Web.
Euben, D. (2020). Everyday ethics: Avoiding conflict-of-interest situations in your practice. Web.