Are Physical Therapists Fulfilling Their Responsibilities as Diagnosticians?

Shirley A. Sahrmann

DOI: 10.2519/jospt.2005.0109

In the early 1960s I participated in a job analysis study that was used as a basis for deciding whether physical therapists were professionals or technicians. Because of the decisions we made about patient care, we were designated as professionals. Not only were the decisions I made about patient care in those days relatively simple but they were also based on a relatively shallow level of knowledge. One of the best-kept secrets of our profession is escalation in the complexity of our decisions over the past 40 years. The depth of knowledge upon which we base our decisions has also increased significantly. But has the respect of our referral sources for our role changed in the same manner as our clinical decisions? Probably the most obvious change in our referral relationship is that the ‘‘prescription'' or referral form no longer lists all the modalities that the physician should check. Though many clinicians are respected for their abilities to help patients, I question whether the referral source recognizes that physical therapists should be able to make diagnostic decisions. Certainly part of the problem is a lack of clarity about the type of diagnoses physical therapists make or how these diagnoses reflect our scope of practice. Does the physician clearly understand how our scope of practice complements rather than conflicts with medical practice and that we are not making medical diagnoses?

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2005; 35(9):556-558. doi:10.2519/jospt.2005.0109

Key Words: diagnosis

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