{"id":7982,"date":"2018-09-08T05:30:55","date_gmt":"2018-09-08T04:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/?p=7982"},"modified":"2018-10-04T20:24:44","modified_gmt":"2018-10-04T19:24:44","slug":"physiotherapy-assessment-tool-phast-clinical-assessment-guide-and-injury-profile-identification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/2018\/09\/08\/physiotherapy-assessment-tool-phast-clinical-assessment-guide-and-injury-profile-identification\/","title":{"rendered":"APP REVIEW. Physiotherapy Assessment Tool (PHAST): clinical assessment guide and injury profile identification"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Natalia Bittencourt @bittencourt_nfn<\/a>, Sergio Fonseca and\u00a0Luciana D Mendon\u00e7a\u00a0@luludemichelis<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

APP REVIEW<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

NAME OF THE MOBILE APPLICATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

PHAST – Physiotherapy Assessment Tool<\/p>\n

CATEGORY OF THE MOBILE APPLICATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Android: health and wellness; iOS: health and fitness.<\/p>\n

PLATFORM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Android, iOS.<\/p>\n

COST<\/strong><\/p>\n

3 Free Assessment credits; 10 Assessment credits US$23.99<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE APP<\/strong><\/p>\n

Several sports injuries are a result of musculoskeletal (MSK) factors1<\/sup>. The PHAST app presents this relationship between MSK factors and sports injuries, and applies it to physical therapy. The app optimises the assessment process for a physiotherapist by indicating the most important tests required based on an athlete’s specific sports demands. It also suggests a list of standardised tests such as mobility, stability and muscle function. For example, when assessing a volleyball player, PHAST suggests ankle dorsiflexion ROM, foot alignment, hip muscle function and others, which contribute to an athlete\u2019s clinical profile and their relationship to possible injury occurrence2<\/sup>. The app reinforces the functionality paradigm in physical therapy and indicates evidence-based tests, which have, in most part, their psychometric proprieties documented2<\/sup>. This is important as only\u00a022% of sports injury prevention mobile apps are evidence-based3<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

PHAST directs the clinician’s attention to movement and function. To completely understand the movement, the physical therapist must consider the kinetic chain and perform global assessments. The musculoskeletal system must be capable to generate, dissipate and transfer mechanical energy within the elements of the kinetic chain2,4<\/sup>. In addition to this, the mechanical energy applied to the musculoskeletal system must also be considered. The main objective of PHAST is to analyse the balance between the athlete\u2019s capability and their chosen sport demands2,4<\/sup>, and to provide a thorough view (profile) of the athlete\u2019s potential to perform.<\/p>\n

USE IN CLINICAL PRACTICE<\/strong><\/p>\n

PHAST can be used by physical therapists during assessments and re-assessments to improve decisions regarding interventions. For each test, PHAST indicates its respective cut-off points. Therefore, if an athlete scores below a given value, the app will highlight the test result in red to warn the physiotherapist (Figure 1).<\/p>\n

The app gives the option to visually indicate the athlete\u2019s injury profile (match between athlete\u2019s capability and sport\u2019s demand2,4<\/sup>) using a thermometer (Figure 2). Green bars indicate low probability of injury (proper profile) and the red bars indicate higher probability of injury (improper profile). The algorithm implemented considers existing evidence and clinical reasoning to establish the contributing weight for each factor and the interactions among them (e.g. MSK tests, workload data and previous injuries). Finally, PHAST provides a report indicating an athlete’s clinical profile and which areas require attention to ensure fitting prevention or rehabilitation interventions.<\/p>\n

PROS<\/p>\n