DD Screening Study Guide: Essential Questions from the
Book
PARTICIPATION GOALS - correct answer ✔✔- The specific roles this patient wishes to be a part of.
- These goals provide the "big picture"—what is the overall purpose of the physical therapy intervention?
- The goal for one patient may be to return to work, for another to be able to care for her children, for a
third to be able to go to church.
ACTIVITY (OR FUNCTIONAL) GOALS - correct answer ✔✔- The expected outcomes in terms of the skills
needed to participate in necessary or desired roles.
- The key component of any goal section - should never be omitted.
- For example, a goal may be to walk from the bed to the bathroom, to put on a shirt, or to drink from a
cup.
D's and N's - correct answer ✔✔Red flags during a Vertebral Artery Test:
(also present in the late stage of CAD):
1. diplopia,
2. dizziness,
3. drop attacks,
4. dysarthria,
5. dysphagia,
ataxia (the "and")
1. nausea,
2. numbness,
3. nystagmus
,True or False: Direct access is the only reason physical therapists must screen for systemic disease. -
correct answer ✔✔False
Reasons for screening include:
1. Direct access
2. Quicker and sicker healthcare system
3. Signed prescription (without direct physician contact)
4. Medical specialization (specialists may fail to recognize underlying systemic disease)
5. Disease progression (early signs difficult to recognize, or may not have been present at the time of
medical exam)
6. Patient/client disclosure (information unknown/disclosed to the physician)
7. Yellow or red flags
In the context of screening for referral, the primary purpose of a diagnosis is to: - correct answer
✔✔Provide information that can guide efficient treatment and effective patient management
(i.e., identify underlying NMS pathology)
A patient/client gives you a written prescription from a physician, chiropractor, or dentist. The FIRST
screening question to ask is: - correct answer ✔✔Did the physician (dentist, chiropractor) examine you?
Screening for medical disease takes place: - correct answer ✔✔Throughout the episode of care
Medical referral for a problem outside the scope of the physical therapy practice occurs when: - correct
answer ✔✔Any of these
True or False: Physical therapy evaluation and intervention may be a part of the physician's differential
diagnosis. - correct answer ✔✔True
What is the difference between a yellow and a red flag symptom? - correct answer ✔✔Yellow: is a
cautionary or warning symptom that signals, "Slow down, and think about the need for screening."
, Red: requires immediate attention
(either to pursue further screening questions or tests, or to make an appropriate referral)
True or False: The presence of a single yellow or red flag is a cause for immediate medical attention. -
correct answer ✔✔False: The presence of a single yellow or red flag is not usually a cause for immediate
medical attention.
(Each cautionary or warning flag must be viewed in the context of the whole person, including: age, sex,
past medical history, and current clinical presentation)
What are the major decision-making tools used in the screening process? (name 5) - correct answer
✔✔1. Past medical history
2. Risk factor assessment
3. Clinical presentation (i.e., pain types/patterns)
4. Associated signs and symptoms
5. Review of systems
(Any suspicious finding or response in any of these areas warrants a closer look.)
See if you can quickly name 6 to 10 PT red flags that suggest the need for further screening. - correct
answer ✔✔1. Family history of hereditary condition
2. Recent or recurring infection
3. Unknown etiology, insidious onset
4. Abnormal constitutional or vital signs
5. Unrelieved by rest or change in position
6. Bilateral symptoms
7. Pain patterns (see next question)
8. Unusual menstrual cycle/symptoms
9. Proximal muscle weakness, especially if accompanied by change in DTRs
10. No improvement with PT
Book
PARTICIPATION GOALS - correct answer ✔✔- The specific roles this patient wishes to be a part of.
- These goals provide the "big picture"—what is the overall purpose of the physical therapy intervention?
- The goal for one patient may be to return to work, for another to be able to care for her children, for a
third to be able to go to church.
ACTIVITY (OR FUNCTIONAL) GOALS - correct answer ✔✔- The expected outcomes in terms of the skills
needed to participate in necessary or desired roles.
- The key component of any goal section - should never be omitted.
- For example, a goal may be to walk from the bed to the bathroom, to put on a shirt, or to drink from a
cup.
D's and N's - correct answer ✔✔Red flags during a Vertebral Artery Test:
(also present in the late stage of CAD):
1. diplopia,
2. dizziness,
3. drop attacks,
4. dysarthria,
5. dysphagia,
ataxia (the "and")
1. nausea,
2. numbness,
3. nystagmus
,True or False: Direct access is the only reason physical therapists must screen for systemic disease. -
correct answer ✔✔False
Reasons for screening include:
1. Direct access
2. Quicker and sicker healthcare system
3. Signed prescription (without direct physician contact)
4. Medical specialization (specialists may fail to recognize underlying systemic disease)
5. Disease progression (early signs difficult to recognize, or may not have been present at the time of
medical exam)
6. Patient/client disclosure (information unknown/disclosed to the physician)
7. Yellow or red flags
In the context of screening for referral, the primary purpose of a diagnosis is to: - correct answer
✔✔Provide information that can guide efficient treatment and effective patient management
(i.e., identify underlying NMS pathology)
A patient/client gives you a written prescription from a physician, chiropractor, or dentist. The FIRST
screening question to ask is: - correct answer ✔✔Did the physician (dentist, chiropractor) examine you?
Screening for medical disease takes place: - correct answer ✔✔Throughout the episode of care
Medical referral for a problem outside the scope of the physical therapy practice occurs when: - correct
answer ✔✔Any of these
True or False: Physical therapy evaluation and intervention may be a part of the physician's differential
diagnosis. - correct answer ✔✔True
What is the difference between a yellow and a red flag symptom? - correct answer ✔✔Yellow: is a
cautionary or warning symptom that signals, "Slow down, and think about the need for screening."
, Red: requires immediate attention
(either to pursue further screening questions or tests, or to make an appropriate referral)
True or False: The presence of a single yellow or red flag is a cause for immediate medical attention. -
correct answer ✔✔False: The presence of a single yellow or red flag is not usually a cause for immediate
medical attention.
(Each cautionary or warning flag must be viewed in the context of the whole person, including: age, sex,
past medical history, and current clinical presentation)
What are the major decision-making tools used in the screening process? (name 5) - correct answer
✔✔1. Past medical history
2. Risk factor assessment
3. Clinical presentation (i.e., pain types/patterns)
4. Associated signs and symptoms
5. Review of systems
(Any suspicious finding or response in any of these areas warrants a closer look.)
See if you can quickly name 6 to 10 PT red flags that suggest the need for further screening. - correct
answer ✔✔1. Family history of hereditary condition
2. Recent or recurring infection
3. Unknown etiology, insidious onset
4. Abnormal constitutional or vital signs
5. Unrelieved by rest or change in position
6. Bilateral symptoms
7. Pain patterns (see next question)
8. Unusual menstrual cycle/symptoms
9. Proximal muscle weakness, especially if accompanied by change in DTRs
10. No improvement with PT
