Abstract

The purpose of this study was to: identify the ethical dilemmas faced by rehabilitation practitioners employed in private sector rehabilitation; determine how often practitioners employed in private sector rehabilitation are confronted with specific dilemma; determine which employment settings in private sector rehabilitation face the greatest number of dilemmas; and determine how important private sector rehabilitation practitioners view the development of effective training materials to deal with ethical dilemmas. ;A total of 122 usable surveys were returned from the Disability Management Specialists who were employed or had a history of employment in private sector rehabilitation. The results of this survey indicate that practitioners employed in private sector rehabilitation encounter ethical dilemmas and believe their is a need to develop effective training materials to deal with those dilemmas. The study did not reveal a significant relationship between the dilemmas encountered and the employment settings of the respondents. ;This study has contributed to rehabilitation by identifying specific ethical dilemmas encountered by practitioners employed in private sector rehabilitation. It has also identified the need to develop training materials specific to private sector occupations. Various professional codes of ethics have been developed to assist rehabilitation professionals to address the variations with in their practice. The results of this study may provide guidance for expanding the utility of the Codes of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Practitioners by recognizing and focusing on the dilemmas confronted in private sector rehabilitation. Educators who recognize the impact of managed care on rehabilitation service delivery could use the dilemmas identified in this study as a starting point to develop instructional materials to teach resolution skills of ethical issues and dilemmas currently encountered in private sector rehabilitation