Ethical Conduct

The APS is committed to transparency and integrity across all areas of practice. As a member of the Australian Ethical Health Alliance (AEHA) and signatory to the Australian Consensus Framework for Ethical Collaboration in the Healthcare Sector, the APS has agreed to abide by the following principles:

• Benefit and welfare
• Justice
• Respect for patients, consumers, communities, students, educators, colleagues and organisations
• Solidarity
• Effectiveness, efficiency and safety
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Reflexivity
• Transparency
• Inclusiveness and shared understanding
• Responsibility and accountabilty
• Reasonableness
• Testability
• Revisability
• Oversight

The APS is committed to regularly reviewing its practices and relationships to ensure that they are consistent with a high standard of ethical conduct. The APS reserves the right to withdraw from any relationship in which the behaviour of the other party, or parties:

• Does not adhere to the APS ethical standards.
• Has the potential to compromise the ethical standards of the APS.
• Poses a risk to the reputation of the APS as an association which holds itself to a high ethical standard.

Ethical behaviour of members

As a multidisciplinary society, the APS recognises that the behaviour of its members is informed and influenced by their individual professional codes of practice and ethical guidelines. Whilst the APS expects and anticipates that its members will hold themselves to high ethical standards, the APS does not act in a regulatory or advisory capacity for the conduct of its members. The APS expects its members to consult with their appropriate professional and regulatory bodies for such matters.

Our community is strengthened by the diverse and intersecting stories and experiences of all the clinicians, researchers, and people with pain who allow us to learn from them. The APS is committed to nurturing a culture where all individuals are and feel included, listened to, valued, and respected. As a Society of educated and passionate professionals, we expect differences of opinion to arise and encourage robust debate amongst our members. However, the APS has zero tolerance towards any forms of discrimination, either through action or language, based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, religion, disability, or age.

Privacy of member information

The APS recognises that it has a duty to protect the privacy of its members’ information. As part of its membership processes, the APS will:

• Collect and store demographic information which has been self-reported by members including age range, sex, profession, income range (for the purpose of self-determined membership tier), and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status.
• Endeavour to ensure all members are eligible for membership according to designated criteria.
• Allow members to publicly declare themselves as a member

The APS will not:

• Disclose member information to non-authorised parties including other members. Authorised parties are the APS Secretariat and APS Board members who are on APS Board directed committees.
• Publicly list member information except where permission has been explicitly given (e.g., the Public Listing of Members, delegate list for Annual Scientific Meetings).
• Vouch for the currency of health professionals’ self declarations as members