Many clinical, social and logistical factors will determine your choice of one care pathway over another. Some factors that may indicate care pathway 3 is appropriate for your patient include:
- moderate to severe physical and psychological symptoms
Action: Refer for interdisciplinary management, in liaison with the primary health professional.
Under care pathway 3, a specialist is recommended to refer a patient for interdisciplinary management, in liaison with the primary health professional, as directed by the Australian Guidelines for the management of acute whiplash-associated disorders
For example:
- current guidelines recommend referral to a psychologist for an Impact of Events Scale (IES-R) >25, indicating moderate post-traumatic stress symptoms
- acute pain management guidelines recommend referral for pain management if pain is high and not resolving, with clear signs of central sensitisation.
Learn more through patient case studies