Title : Identifying functional 'Red Flags' in the 40 to 65 year old Patient
Abstract:
Functional concerns related to Falls, Frailty and Failure-to-Thrive are often evident up to a decade before diagnosis or impairment. Rehab Professionals often miss the opportunity to pre-emptively identify these issues through validated testing in the 40 – 65 year old patient, thereby missing opportunities to intervene sooner to preserve function and long-term quality of life.
Guidelines and recommendations for, “functional assessments” have been in place for decades. Studies show that the vast majority of Rehab providers report high awareness of these recommendations (PMID: 25767167) yet frequently, clinical practice does not reflect this (PMID: 33476185 and PMID: 36827678). Rehab Professionals should be well-versed in identifying potentially life-altering disease processes; while early referral to therapy is a known benefit for patients, there is a gap in care for some patients (PMID: 24481484) and when we fail to quickly and accurately identify these concerns, patients and the health care system at large, is left to bear the burden of more expensive, long-term disability or even premature mortality. (PMID: 27039014)
Discussion will include the significance of the following key points:
-Ability to recognize potentially life-altering concerns in the clinical setting
-Difference between pathology and function
-The ramifications of screening for mortality rather than diagnosis
-How to reinforce the significance of these screenings with primary care physicians
