FLAG ASSESSMENT SCREENING TOOL

Tick where relevant factors exist as potential indicators of poor outcome or delayed
recovery.

Red Flags (Medical / Physical Factors)

✓ Serious pathology or diagnosis (e.g., trauma, pain, weight loss/gain, fever, etc.)

Excruciating pain throughout the day.

✓ Co-existence of other diseases and conditions (e.g., Cancer, drug use, etc. impingement
syndrome.

Failure of treatment/lack of response to treatment

Type Here .

Yellow Flags (Psychosocial Factors)

✓ Attitudes and beliefs about pain and injury (e.g., fear avoidance, beliefs that pain is
harmful and won’t help recovery, beliefs that passive treatment is better than active
treatment, etc.)
Mr Turner is anxious about happening this again.
✓Psychological conditions (eg. Depression, anger, bereavement, frustration, anxiety, feeling
useless / not needed, etc)
Anxiety and worried about my job.

✓ Diagnosis and treatment (e.g., perceived inconsistencies about the injury, conflicting
diagnoses, a high number of visits to health professionals, lack of satisfaction with previous
treatment, etc.)
Satisfied with the previous treatment but it is prolonged.

Behaviors include unhelpful coping strategies (e.g., fear of aggravation and pain,
catastrophizing, overreaction to medical problems, use of extended rest, excessive reliance
on aids or appliances, high intake of alcohol or other substances, etc.)
Type Here .

✓ Other (e.g., previous injury with an extended period off work, previous persistent pain
problem, age of worker, etc.)
No previous injury.

✓ Family (eg. Over protective family member, family member highly involved in claim/injury
mgt, lack of family support, etc)
Their wife is worried about Mr turner.

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 Blue Flags (Perceived Features of Work or Social Environment)

Poor social support from work colleagues or an unsupportive management style

Type Here .

✓ Lack of job satisfaction, frequent job changes, or poor vocational direction

The job changed twice.

High demand / low control

None .

✓ Physically demanding, uncomfortable, or manual work, or work that involved shift work
or inflexible schedules, no rest breaks, etc.
Physically demanding work.

Black Flags (Factors that affect all workers equally)

Threats to financial security and progression, liability disputes, financial incentives,

etc.
None .

Lack of contact with the workplace, duration of sickness absence, etc.

During sickness, there is a lack of contact with the workplace as work is demanding.

Poor coordination between employers and those responsible for medical care
None .

Other

Traveling the distance to the nearest office

Not mentioned .

Language barriers (read, written, and spoken)

None .

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