Path-o-logical Behavior
This term refers to the biological mechanism that leads to the development of a disease; understanding it helps PTs predict how a condition will progress.
Answer: What is Pathogenesis?
This imaging modality uses a rotating x-ray beam to create cross-sectional images and is often the gold standard for complex fractures or acute trauma.
Answer: What is Computed Tomography (CT)?
"Does your back hurt when you bend forward?" is an example of this type of question, which typically yields a yes/no answer.
Answer: What is a Close-ended question?
A patient reporting "numbness" is describing a symptom, whereas a therapist measuring "diminished sensation" is identifying this.
Answer: What is a Sign?
The "Number One" responsibility of a PT during the initial medical screening is to decide if the patient is appropriate for PT or needs this.
Answer: What is Referral (to another provider)?
Unlike general pathology, which focuses on the disease process itself, this branch focuses on how the disease specifically affects functional abilities and rehabilitation outcomes.
Answer: What is Clinical Pathology?
In radiography, this term describes the reduction in the intensity of the x-ray beam as it passes through matter, resulting in different shades of gray on the image.
Answer: What is Attenuation?
"Tell me more about how your pain affects your daily work" is an example of this type of question, which is generally preferred for building rapport and gathering narrative data.
Answer: What is an Open-ended question?
This component of the medical screening process involves a checklist of common symptoms across various body systems to identify potential systemic involvement.
Answer: What is the Review of Systems (ROS)?
Even if a PT has direct access privileges, they are not responsible for making a medical diagnosis, but rather a this type of diagnosis.
Answer: What is a Physical Therapy Diagnosis (or Functional Diagnosis)?
An acute physiological change in a patient’s condition, such as a sudden drop in O2 saturation or a spike in blood pressure, would require this immediate adjustment to the plan of care.
Answer: What is a Modification (of treatment/intervention)?
To prevent the overuse of imaging, physical therapists should utilize these evidence-based guidelines (like the Ottawa Ankle Rules) before requesting a scan.
Answer: What are Clinical Decision Rules (CDRs)?
To inject humanism into the patient interaction and build rapport, a therapist might use a statement like "I can see that you are struggling," which is a specific expression of this skill
Answer: What is Empathy?
Cauda Equina Syndrome and Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency are examples of these—signs indicating immediate medical attention is required.
Answer: What are Red Flags?
If a patient presents with a Red Flag, this is the primary person the PT is responsible for communicating with regarding the findings.
Answer: Who is the Physician (or Referring Provider)?
When exercising a patient with a known pathology, monitoring these provides objective data on how the physiological system is coping with the stress of movement.
Answer: What are Vital Signs?
Unlike diagnostic ultrasound which looks for pathology, this type of ultrasound is used by PTs to assess muscle function and providing biofeedback during motor control exercises.
Answer: What is Rehabilitative Ultrasound?
While the physical evaluation provides objective measures, the patient interview is crucial for establishing this—the therapeutic alliance and trust between patient and provider.
Answer: What is Rapport (or The Therapeutic Alliance)?
Psychosocial factors, such as fear-avoidance behaviors or poor coping mechanisms, are categorized as this color of flag.
Answer: What are Yellow Flags?
Even if you can refer for imaging, you should typically avoid it if the results of the image will not change this.
Answer: What is the Plan of Care (or Treatment Plan)?
Determining if a patient’s fatigue is due to deconditioning versus a systemic disease process is an example of determining this aspect of a condition.
Answer: What is Pathophysiology (or Pathophysiological impact)?
This nuclear medicine study, often called a bone scan, is highly sensitive for detecting increased metabolic activity, such as in stress fractures or tumors.
Answer: What is Scintigraphy?
One of Kleinman’s 8 questions asks the patient to identify this regarding their sickness, revealing their beliefs about the cause or origin of their problem.
Answer: What is "What do you think caused your problem?" (or Etiology)?
In a medical screening, looking for a group of signs and symptoms that correlate to a specific pathology is known as identifying a this.
Answer: What is a Syndrome?
This term describes the ability of a patient to seek physical therapy treatment without a physician's referral, necessitating higher responsibility for medical screening by the PT.
Answer: What is Direct Access?