Table 3.

Primary barriers to and advantages of engaging AHPs in the diagnostic process.

Primary barriers to engaging AHPs in diagnosis	Primary advantages of engaging AHPs in diagnosis
– Logistical (e.g. many clinics separate AHPs from physicians in the outpatient setting, segregating diagnosis by physicians from treatment by AHPs)	– Often greater availability, access, or affordability (e.g. there are more than 10 times more vestibular PTs than neuro-otologists)
– Regulatory/scope of practice (e.g. nursing codes of ethics and legal constraints prevent them from rendering medical diagnoses; the same is true of many other AHP groups)	– More time with the patient (e.g. nurses caring for post-operative patients on an inpatient surgical ward are with patients for extended periods and can note deterioration over time or change from baseline when physicians may not)
– Sociocultural (e.g. hierarchical structure of physician-AHP relationships in which diagnosis is perceived as a skill ‘beyond’ AHPs)	– Specialized expertise in diagnosis (e.g. speech-and-language pathologists in the evaluation and treatment of swallowing disorders)

AHP, allied health professional; PT, physical therapist.