National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) Practice Exam

When should a physical therapist assistant discuss decreasing the frequency of postural drainage sessions?

1. When the patient experiences decreased postoperative pain

2. If the patient becomes febrile

3. If the consistency of the sputum changes

4. When the amount of productive secretion decreases

The correct answer is: When the amount of productive secretion decreases

The decision to decrease the frequency of postural drainage sessions is primarily guided by the patient's response to treatment and the effectiveness of sputum clearance. When the amount of productive secretion decreases, it indicates that the patient's respiratory status may be improving. The primary goal of postural drainage is to help clear excessive mucus from the airways; thus, a reduction in productive secretions suggests that the need for frequent drainage sessions is lessened. As the practitioner assesses the success of the treatment, a decrease in secreting volume signifies that the patient's lung function may be stabilizing or improving, which can prompt discussions about reducing the frequency of interventions. Other factors such as postoperative pain, patient fever, or changes in sputum consistency are important to monitor but do not directly correlate to the frequency of postural drainage. For instance, decreased pain may indicate an improvement in a patient's overall condition, but it does not specifically warrant a reduction in therapy frequency unless it directly influences mucus production. A fever could signify an underlying infection, requiring further evaluation rather than a straightforward reduction in therapy. Changes in sputum consistency might relate to various factors including adequacy of hydration or infection, but without direct evidence of decreased secretion volume, they do not necessarily indicate a need to alter the treatment