Why is screening without action potentially harmful in PT practice?

• A. It can worsen patient outcomes and increase frustration if needs are identified but not addressed
• B. It improves patient outcomes
• C. It has no impact
• D. It reduces costs

Answer: (A)

Screening in physical therapy identifies potential issues that need a plan of care. If those findings are not followed by any action—no further evaluation, no patient education, no referrals, and no changes to the treatment plan—patients can experience delayed care, allowing problems to progress or red flags to go unaddressed. This can worsen outcomes and create frustration or distrust when patients feel their concerns were acknowledged but not acted upon. Ethically, clinicians owe safety and benefit to patients, which means linking screening results to concrete next steps. So, screening without action is harmful because it signals potential problems without delivering the necessary response.