ArticleThe Journal of manual & manipulative therapy2018
Physical therapy clinical specialization and management of red and yellow flags in patients with low back pain in the United States.
Article in The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Trial
- Improving physiotherapists' ability to recognise the presence of a serious pathology with a digital educational training: a mixed methods feasibility study.BMC medical education · 2025Trial
- Physical Therapists' Practices and Attitudes Toward Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: A National Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Obstacles and facilitators of return to work among people with persistent pain who receive benefit payments: an in-depth interview study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Assessment of differential diagnostic skills of physiotherapists related to the cervical spine - approaches to improving effectiveness: observational, cross-sectional study.BMC medical education · 2025Observational
- Article
- The perception of individuals with low back pain regarding reassuring information: Insights based on physiotherapists messages.PloS one · 2025Article
- The ability of Austrian registered physiotherapists to recognize serious pathology.BMC primary care · 2024Article
- Guideline adherent screening and referral: do third year Doctor of Physical Therapy students identify red and yellow flags within descriptive patient cases? a United States based survey study.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2023Article
- Management of Low Back Pain: Do Physiotherapists Know the Evidence-Based Guidelines?International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- The Ability of Austrian Qualified Physiotherapists to Make Accurate Keep-Refer Decisions and to Detect Serious Pathologies Based on Clinical Vignettes: Protocol for a Cross-sectional Web-Based Survey.JMIR research protocols · 2023Article
- Primary care physiotherapists ability to make correct management decisions - is there room for improvement? A mixed method study.BMC family practice · 2021Article
- A Rare Consequence after Shoulder Dislocation in a Professional Cyclist: A Case Report.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
1 author.
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Abstract
objectivesPhysical therapists (PTs) may practice in direct access or act as primary care practitioners, which necessitate patients' screening and management for red, orange and yellow flags. The objective of the project was to assess the American PT's ability to manage red, orange and yellow flags in patients with low back pain (LBP), and to compare this ability among PTs with different qualifications.
methodsThe project was an electronic cross-sectional survey. The investigators contacted 2,861 PTs. Participants made clinical decisions for three vignettes: LBP with red flag for ectopic pregnancy, with orange flag for depression and with yellow flag for fear avoidance behaviour (FAB). The investigators used logistic regression to compare management of warning flags among PTs with distinct qualifications: orthopaedic clinical specialists (PTOs), fellows of the AAOMPT (PTFs), PTOs and PTFs (PTFOs), and PTs without clinical specialization (PTMSs).
resultsA total of 410 PTs completed all sections of the survey (142 PTOs, 110 PTFOs, 74 PTFs and 84 PTMSs). Two hundred and seventeen PTs (53%) managed the patient with LBP and symptoms of ectopic pregnancy correctly, 115 PTs (28.5%) of them managed the patient with LBP and symptoms of depression correctly, and 177 (43.2%) managed the patient with LBP and FAB correctly. DISCUSSION: In general, PTs with specialization performed significantly better than PTMSs in all three clinical vignettes. PTs ability to manage patients with warning flags was relatively low. Based on our results, further education on patients with LBP and warning flags is needed. The survey had the potential for non-response and self-selection bias. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3b.
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