What tool is used to screen for yellow flags in PT?

• A. The QuickDASH
• B. The OSPRO-YF — 10 domains including Negative Mood, Fear Avoidance, and Positive Affect/Coping
• C. The Oswestry Disability Index
• D. The Pain Catastrophizing Scale

Answer: (B)

Understanding yellow flags means recognizing psychosocial factors that can influence recovery, prognosis, and engagement in PT. The tool designed to screen these factors comprehensively is the OSPRO-YF, which covers ten domains, including Negative Mood, Fear Avoidance, and Positive Affect/Coping. This breadth lets you identify a range of psychosocial risks and strengths that can shape how a patient responds to treatment, whether they need psychosocial referral, and what kind of interventions might help most.

Disability measures like the QuickDASH and the Oswestry Disability Index focus on physical function and pain-related disability for specific body regions, not on the psychosocial factors that yellow flags represent. The Pain Catastrophizing Scale targets catastrophic thinking about pain, which is important but only one facet of yellow flags. In contrast, the OSPRO-YF provides a multi-domain snapshot of the psychosocial landscape, making it the best fit for screening yellow flags.