Page 97 - Petelin, Ana. 2024. Ed. Zdravje delovno aktivnih in starejših odraslih | Health of the Working-Age and Older Adults. Zbornik prispevkov z recenzijo | Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press

https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-397-5.97-106

The Role of Medical Screening

in Physiotherapy

Barbara Pantar
Fizioterapija Pantar Barbara, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Abstract

Introduction: In some European countries, patients have the right to
self-referral or examination without referral from a doctor to a triage
physiotherapist, who has additional expertise and is capable of advanced
clinical reasoning. A triage physical therapist must be trained in a
timely manner to identify signs and symptoms of a serious illness other
than neuromusculoskeletal disorders. The screening process allows the
physiotherapist to detect warning signs – red flags that require additional
medical attention. The reason for doubt and referral to a specialist doctor
may also be an unexpected outcome or unresponsiveness of symptoms
to physiotherapeutic treatment. Methods: A descriptive literature search
method in the PubMed and CINAHL databases between November
2023 and March 2024 was conducted. The review included open access
of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews published
since 2018. We searched using the search string of keywords or their
combinations in English: direct access, physiotherapy, red flags. Results:
The review included 12 studies investigating the effects and implications
of self-referral options or access to physiotherapy without referral to a
doctor. The authors mostly report a decrease in the number of referrals
to specialist doctors, a decrease in drug consumption, an improvement
in the patient’s satisfaction with medical care, and thus a reduction in
treatment costs. Discussion and conclusions: A physical therapist has a
responsible task in the process of ensuring the patient’s basic right to
appropriate, safe, and quality treatment. Physiotherapeutic treatment is
based on a physiotherapeutic examination, which must exclude as clearly
as possible the presence of serious illnesses or detect individuals in
whom serious illnesses have not yet been detected. The screening process
helps physiotherapists determine the degree of doubt about whether
the patient in question is suitable for physiotherapeutic treatment and
choose the most effective physiotherapeutic procedure.