Primary Care Physical Therapists' Experiences When Screening for Serious Pathologies Among Their Patients: A Qualitative Study.
Cecilie Rud Budtz, Helle Rønn-Smidt, Janus Nikolaj Laust Thomsen and 2 others
PMID 35302642WHAT IT FOUND
Danish primary care physical therapists said they often suspect serious pathology when patients fail to improve, not only from initial red flag questions.
They felt uncertain about red flags and valued colleague reflection plus general practitioner feedback.
Key findings
01Participants described clinical suspicion, especially when patients did not improve during treatment, as an important trigger for suspecting serious pathology.
02They reported uncertainty about what red flags cover and limited guidance, with some feeling unable to make specific differential diagnoses.
03Joint reflection with colleagues and feedback from general practitioners were described as ways to share responsibility and support reasoning about suspected serious pathology.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only nine therapists were interviewed, all in Danish primary care, so the findings may not apply to other health systems. The study reports what therapists said they do, not observed screening behaviour. Participants may have answered in a way intended to please the interviewer. The main researcher's prior work assumed therapists struggle with management decisions, which may have shaped the interview questions. Health care systems, education, and specialisations vary across countries and regions.
Declared interests
Funded by Aarhus University, the Health Research Foundation of Central Denmark Region, and the Practise Research Foundation of Danish Physiotherapists. The funders had no role in design, conduct, or reporting.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that red flag questions are ineffective or that clinical suspicion is a tested replacement. The study reports nine therapists' experiences, not diagnostic accuracy.