RT Book, Section A1 Shamus, Eric SR Print(0) ID 1112997408 T1 Preface T2 The Color Atlas of Physical Therapy YR 2015 FD 2015 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 978-0-07-181351-8 LK accessphysiotherapy.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1112997408 RD 2024/03/28 AB Today’s evolving health care environment demands efficiency and effectiveness. In response to these demands and growth of the physical therapy profession through the beginning of the twenty-first century, the APTA has developed “Vision 2020”.1 “By 2020, physical therapy will be provided by physical therapists (PTs) who are doctors of physical therapy, recognized by consumers and other health care professionals as the practitioners of choice to whom consumers have direct access for the diagnosis of, interventions for, and prevention of impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities related to movement, function, and health … with all privileges of autonomous practice.”1 The implications of autonomy increase the emphasis on collaboration with other health professionals, requiring competency in diagnosis as well as recommendations for follow-up, referral, and intervention. Even though PTs can functionally diagnose, the need to determine if a client or individual requires diagnostic testing and subsequent medical diagnosis is paramount to best practice. If a consumer is able to have direct access to a physical therapist or direct access into the medical system through physical therapy, the physical therapist needs to determine the appropriateness of that access during the initial encounter, regardless of setting or venue. One tool to facilitate clinical decision making is the process or act of “screening,” which is acknowledged as a skill needed by PTs by the American Physical Therapy Association.