As physical therapists we are now front line healthcare professionals. Because of direct access (this means you can go to a physical therapist without a doctor referral) clients may be coming to us as an entry point into the healthcare system. As a result of this we need to treat every client with a holistic view. We need to at the very least screen the cardiopulmonary system within the overall human movement system. This is where Dr. Richard Severin comes in! He is a passionate proponent of taking vital signs and screen the cardiopulmonary system for every client in every setting.

In this episode we talk about:

• His background and interest in cardiopulmonary branch of physical therapy
• The importance of getting baseline measurements for every client in every setting
• Why it is important to take vital signs in all physical therapy settings.
• His response to “I have to see so many patients in my outpatient clinic I don’t have time to take vital signs”
• Risks of not taking vital signs.
• His talk at CSM
• And much more!

This is such an important topic for all healthcare professionals and taking vitals is something we should all be doing…..regardless of our work setting!

Thanks for listening and stay Healthy Wealthy & Smart!

Karen