S1 - Assessment Principles

Question 1

what are key assessment skills

Answer 1

• Information gathering skills / reading/ processing and evaluation.
• Excellent Communication - verbal / non-verbal /written
• Active listening
• Planning and prioritising
• Knowledge and Clinical Skills
• Handling skills
• Identifying problems

Question 1

What are the potential settings for a physiotherapy assessment?

Answer 1

• Inpatient
• Outpatient/clinic/gym/GPs
• A&E
• Pitchside
• Community (hub/unit)
• Community (patients homes)
• Schools
• Care homes
• Telecare/online

Question 2

What if the patient can’t communicate or has difficulty understanding?

Answer 2

• use family to help and talk to patient ‘through’ them
• closed questions
• translator if language barrier
• alphabet boards/ picture boards to point to

Question 3

what are th ebenefits of a body chart

Answer 3

• A clear visual presentation of the patients problems
• Quick to record problems, e.g. auscultation/pain/tone during the assessment process.
• Sections can act as prompts and direct the assessment.
• Visual prompt to know what to continue assessing in follow up session
• Can help to standardise Physiotherapy assessments.

Question 4

how are body charts used

Answer 4

• Often we annotate and add a + or - for tone ++ or – meaning severe low or high tone.
• Sensation is often recorded by shading body parts then describing e.g p&ns or decreased sensation.
• Ticks are used on the unaffected side of the body to indicate normal or no problems.
• The chart could be annotated to indicate power e.g. ⅗ oxford scale at biceps
• You can add anything you think is relevant to the body chart.