Orthopedic Mentorship Series: Clinical Practice Guidelines
Presented by Jared Vagy
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This course introduces clinicians to the structure, purpose, and application of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) in orthopedic rehabilitation. Learners explore how CPGs are developed, how to interpret their recommendations, and how to integrate them into everyday clinical care. Emphasis is placed on utilizing CPG recommendations to guide subjective and objective data collection and interpretation, selecting interventions based on the strength of evidence, and navigating common barriers to implementation. Clinicians will also examine how CPGs improve communication, support clinical reasoning, and promote consistent, high-quality care without replacing individualized treatment. This course is designed for rehabilitation professionals in outpatient, orthopedic, and sports medicine settings who want to confidently incorporate guideline-informed practice into patient care.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyze the purpose and structure of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) in orthopedic patient management
- Select the recommended subjective exam components outlined in CPGs to guide patient history-taking
- Distinguish the objective tests and measures highlighted in CPGs for assessing impairments and function
- Categorize the intervention strategies emphasized in CPGs to promote evidence-based treatment
- Integrate CPG recommendations into clinical decision-making
Meet your instructor
Jared Vagy
Jared Vagy received his doctorate in physical therapy (DPT) from the University of Southern California (USC) and completed a one-year residency in orthopedics and a one-year fellowship in movement science. Dr. Vagy is a clinical associate professor of physical therapy in the DPT program at USC and is a mentor in both the…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Foundations of Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs)
This chapter defines what CPGs are and explains their role in reducing variation in care and promoting evidence-based decision-making. Learners are introduced to how to access all available clinical practice guidelines, the hierarchy of evidence, the grading of recommendations, and the structure of a typical CPG, which lays the foundation for deeper clinical application.
2. Diagnosis/Classification and Examination in CPGs
This chapter explores how CPGs inform both subjective and objective assessments. Clinicians will learn how to align examination findings with impairment-based classifications and select appropriate patient-reported outcome measures. The emphasis is on synthesizing data into actionable diagnostic categories that improve clarity and consistency in care.
3. Interventions in CPGs
This chapter highlights how to choose interventions based on the strength of CPG recommendations. It covers the use of exercise, manual therapy, education, adjunct modalities, and a range of other evidence-supported options and explains when and how to incorporate these into a plan of care.
4. Integrating CPGs Into Practice
Chapter four covers decision trees, author and reviewer affiliations, references, appendices, and implementation resources as they apply to CPGs.
