Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx)

A practitioner is working with a client for the first time. When the practitioner begins to undrape the client's gluteals, the client interrupts the practitioner and states that the area is off limits. Which of the following did the practitioner fail to obtain?

1. Informed consent

2. Disclosure

3. Confidentiality

4. Scope of practice

The correct answer is: Informed consent

The correct answer is informed consent, as it emphasizes the importance of obtaining clear and explicit agreement from a client before proceeding with any treatment, particularly in sensitive areas such as the gluteals. Informed consent ensures that clients understand what the treatment entails and that they have the right to refuse certain aspects of it. In this scenario, the client has expressed a boundary regarding the undraping of their gluteals, indicating that the practitioner did not adequately secure consent for that specific area of treatment before starting. This highlights the ethical and professional obligation of practitioners to communicate openly with clients about their preferences and boundaries. The other options pertain to different aspects of the practitioner-client relationship. Disclosure involves sharing relevant information about the treatment, while confidentiality deals with maintaining the privacy of client information. Scope of practice refers to the areas in which a practitioner is qualified to work but does not directly relate to the consent issue at hand. Thus, the failure to obtain informed consent is the most pertinent issue in this case.