Red Flags, Yellow Flags, Blue Flags, Black Flags

     This page was originally posted on September 21, 2006. It has been the most viewed page on this blog. Updated February 22, 2013.   The other day a student asked me where the phrase “red flag” originated. He had also heard of yellow flags, and suspected that there were other colours of flags to indicate barriers to recovery. Well, we looked in various glossaries of medical and medical education terms, without success. So I e-mailed Dr. Shawn Thistle, and, sure enough, he helped. It is difficult to find where these terms originated (try Googling blue flags!) and Dr. Thistle thinks they may just be part of every doctor’s vocabulary. (Ever since I wrote the title above, I can’t get Dr. Seuss’s One fish two fish red fish blue fish out of my head.) Red flags/clinical red flags (biomedical factors) ~ These help identify potentially serious conditions, and are often listed in practice guidelines. Here is a description from Chapter 13 of the Clinical guidelines for chiropractic practice in Canada [Glenerin Guidelines]: The main focus for the prevention of complications is the recognition of well-known and established indicators or “red flag” signs and symptoms which may require careful assessment and reassessment, changes in treatment plan, or other appropriate action, such as emergency care or referral to another health care specialist. Ignoring these “red flag” indicators increases the likelihood of patient harm.  Yellow  flags/cli...
Source: ANNE T-V's BLOG - Category: Professors and Educators Authors: Tags: Chiropractic/CAM Patient Care Source Type: blogs