Regents Online Continuing Education
ROCE Course Syllabus
Dr. Natalie Housel and Dr. Edilberto Raynes
DIFFERENTICAL DIAGNOSTICS FOR PHYSICAL THERAPISTS:
WITHIN THE SCOPE OF PRACTICE
ROCE 5703
15 Contact Hours (1.5 CEUs)
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will be a 10-module, self-paced, on-demand course, with professor interaction. The course will cover the principles and methods of clinical screening in physical therapy practice and briefly summarize diagnostic imaging, laboratory testing, and other medical diagnostic procedures. A basic format for musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, integumentary, and cardiopulmonary screening in physical therapy will be presented, with a focus on differential diagnosis within the scope of physical therapy practice, and incorporation of the role of the physical therapist as it interfaces with the role of the physician. A clarification of red-flags that differentiate a systemic condition from a neuromusculoskeletal condition will be a continuing theme throughout the course. Decision-making skills related to physical therapy will be emphasized through the use of patient case scenarios with a focus on when to treat, and when to refer. Strategies to effectively and appropriately communicate with health care colleagues and patients regarding medical diagnostic information and medical status will be introduced.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:
- Compare and Contrast two different diagnostic conditions with overlapping symptomatology, and list some of the differences that may be found when medical testing is performed (lab values, x-rays, etc.).
- Assess a physical therapy patient’s primary dysfunction or impairment from various case studies, to determine whether or not the problem is musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, integumentary, neuromuscular, or systemic.
- Determine whether or not a patient’s main complaint falls within the scope of physical therapist practice, and then decide whether to treat, refer, or both.
- Justify your decision of whether to treat or refer, using your knowledge of human pathology and the physical therapy scope of practice.
- Critically analyze the information from various video case studies to determine the mock-patient’s primary impairment, and explain how collaboration with radiology, and other health care professionals can help with the diagnostic process.
- Consider the identifiable problems related to a specific diagnostic condition, as well as those of existing comorbidities when making a determination regarding whether to treat or refer.
- Use confident, but tactful and professional communication skills when referring a patient to a physician or other health care professional.
- Explain the importance of strategies in a physical therapy clinic that integrate a professional and understanding approach when interacting with families and patients going through the struggle of finding a diagnosis for a puzzling condition.
- Incorporate information from the Guide to Physical Therapy Practice, the APTA Guide for Professional Conduct and the APTA Code of Ethics into physical therapy decision-making.
PREREQUISITE: Students must be licensed physical therapists.
COURSE TOPICS:
1. Clinical Screening. This course will help enable the physical therapist to properly screen patients for medical disease and make informed diagnostic conclusions based upon these screening techniques.
2. Medical Testing. There will be an introduction to diagnostic imaging, laboratory testing, and other procedures utilized by physicians to come to diagnostic conclusions, and the application of this information by the physical therapist when determining a patient’s level of impairment and potential prognosis.
3. Physical Therapy Differential Diagnosis. This course will offer strategies to determine whether a patient’s condition falls into the physical therapy scope of practice as a neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, integumentary, or cardiovascular condition, and enable the student to understand the true nature of a patient’s impairment, improving the ability to make tactful recommendations to the physician if more information is needed for the development of effective therapeutic intervention.
4. Decision-Making Skills. Decision making skills related to physical therapy evaluation and therapeutic intervention will be emphasized throughout the course. Students will evaluate a patient’s primary impairment from a video case study, and assess whether or not the problem appears to musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, integumentary, neuromuscular, or systemic. Students will, then, need to determine whether or not the patient’s problem falls within the scope of physical therapist practice, and then decide whether to treat, refer, or both. Whenever possible evidence-based practice will be included, along with information from the Guide to Physical Therapy Practice.
- Professional and Ethical Standards. This course will follow the standards from the APTA Guide for Professional Conduct and the APTA Code of Ethics.
Students must successfully complete the following modules in order.
Module 1:
Screening and Interviewing,
The PT Scope of Practice: To Refer or Treat ?
Module 2: Overview of the Physiology of Pain and Systemic Causes of Pain
Module 3: Signs and Symptoms of Cardiovascular Disease
Module 4: Signs and Symptoms of Pulmonary Disease
Module 5: Signs and Symptoms of Hematologic Disease
Module 6: Signs and Symptoms of Gastrointestinal, Hepatic and Biliary Disease
Module 7: Signs and Symptoms of Urogenital Disease
Module 8: Signs
and Symptoms of Endocrine, Metabolic, and
Immunologic Disease
Module 9: Signs and Symptoms of Cancer Disease
Module 10: Signs and Symptoms of Neuromuscular and Musculoskeletal Disease
Each module is structured as follows:
- Quiz (from the readings) --- 10 quizzes at 3 points each = 30%
- Paragraph on forum page --- 10 paragraphs at 2 points each = 20%
- Comments on papers on the forum page --- 3 comments at 1 point each = 30%
Module 10 will also have the following:
- Final Examination --- 20%
Total = 100%
SPECIFIC COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Students must have knowledge of Microsoft Word, and a computer with PowerPoint capability. Submit your assignments within the designated time frame (of one month from the date of enrollment). When you submit your work, label the subject line as follows: firstinitial+lastname+assignment#. For example, “JDoeAssignment#1.”
The preferred format will be as a Microsoft Word attachment. We recommend the use of Microsoft Office 2003. No other format can be accepted at this time.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Goodman
CC, Snyder TEK. Differential Diagnostics for Physical Therapists: Screening
for Referral.
APTA. Guide
to Physical Therapy Practice: Revised second edition.
· Additional readings as assigned by the instructors.
RECOMMENDED
Goodman
CC, Boissonnault WG, Fuller KS. Pathology:
Implications for the physical therapist.
SUPPLIMENTARTY MATERIALS:
Because two or more of the quizzes may be oral examinations via the phone line, students must have access to a working phone number as well as an email address.
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS:
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm .
SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS:
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include...(A list of software the student is required to purchase or download for the course, Real Player, Media Player, Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Office, etc).
INSTRUCTOR
INFORMATION: Natalie
Housel, PT, EdD, and
TESTING, ASSIGNMENTS, AND GRADING PROCEDURES:
Each module is structured as follows:
- Quiz (from the readings) --- 10 quizzes at 3 points each = 30%
- Paragraph on forum page --- 10 paragraphs at 2 points each = 20%
- Comments on papers on the forum page --- 3 comments at 1 point each = 30%
Module 10 will have the following:
- Final Examination --- 20%
Total = 100%
GRADING SCALE:
Each module must be passed before proceeding to the next module. Students will have one chance to repeat each module with an unsatisfactory grade.
80% or Above – Satisfactory
79% or Below – Unsatisfactory
CLASS PARTICIPATION:
Students are required to complete all assignments for each module in order. Students are also expected to: communicate with the instructor as a learning resource; check the course bulletin board frequently for announcements; and actively participate in threaded discussion events. Because this is a self-paced course, students will be taking components of the course at different times, so answers to threaded discussions might remain on the forum board for other students to read over a period of months, well after a student has completed a particular module.
PUNCTUALITY:
Once the course is begun, a student has one month for completion. A time-extension might be allowed for special circumstances, with instructor approval.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS: See above punctuality statement.
COURSE GROUND RULES:
Active participation in this course is required. Students are expected to communicate with other students in threaded messages, learn how to navigate in D2L, keep abreast of course announcements, use the assigned college or university e-mail address as opposed a personal e-mail address, address technical problems immediately, and observe course etiquette at all times. Disrespect toward other students or to the instruction via email or treaded messages could result in dismissal from the course.
GUIDELINES FOR COMMUNICATION:
Email:
· Always include a subject line.
· Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful when wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
· Respect the privacy of other class members
Discussion Groups:
- Be patient and read the comments of other
students thoroughly before entering your remarks.
- Try to maintain threads by using the
"Reply" button rather than starting a new topic.
- Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements
toward other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of one
another’s ideas.
- Keep your comments positive and constructive.
- Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.
LIBRARY:
The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in
the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals,
databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias,
maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to
complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all
courses.
STUDENTS WITH
DISABILITIES:
Qualified students with
disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations
if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their
home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course,
the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for
specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home
institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their
home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established
procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.
SYLLABUS CHANGES:
The instructor reserves the left to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT:
If you are having problems logging into your course, timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the AskRODP Help Desk by calling:
1-888-223-0023 (toll free)
Or send an email to: rodptech@tbr.edu