1. A Comparison of Instructional Methods on Clinical Reasoning in Entry-Level Physical Therapy Students: A Pilot Study.
- Author
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Kobal, Kara L., Rubertone, Patricia P., Kelly, Stephanie Piper, and Finley, Margaret
- Subjects
PHYSICAL therapy students ,PILOT projects ,STATISTICS ,KRUSKAL-Wallis Test ,STATISTICAL reliability ,MEDICAL students ,ONE-way analysis of variance ,HEALTH outcome assessment ,ACADEMIC achievement ,TREATMENT effectiveness ,RANDOMIZED controlled trials ,CRITICAL thinking ,SCALE analysis (Psychology) ,RESEARCH funding ,STATISTICAL sampling ,DATA analysis ,DATA analysis software ,MEDICAL logic - Abstract
Introduction. The primary aim of this study was to provide a comparison of the effects of 2 commonly used pedagogical approaches (paper-based case studies vs authentic patient experiences) on clinical reasoning and critical thinking of secondyear entry-level physical therapy students. Current literature reveals a lack of consistency in how clinical reasoning is taught and assessed in physical therapist education. There is a need for evidence-based approaches to develop clinical reasoning in entry-level physical therapy students in the United States. Subjects. Twenty-three students in their second year of a Doctor of Physical therapy (DPT) degree program participated in this study. Methods. Participants were randomly assigned to a control group or to receive 1 of 2 supplemental learning activities (paper-based case studies or authentic patient experiences). Outcomes measured preintervention and postintervention included the Health Science Reasoning Test with Numeracy (HSRT-N) and the Self- Assessment of Clinical Reasoning and Re- flection (SACRR). Data analysis included a comparison of effect sizes of change scores between groups and correlational analysis of pretest scores and student factors. Results. Authentic patient experiences demonstrated a moderate to large effect size for improved HSRT-N scores on 5 of 8 subscales, compared with paper-based case studies. Authentic patient experiences demonstrated a moderate effect size for improved SACRR scores compared with the control group. Discussion and Conclusion. The use of authentic patient experiences may be more effective than paper-based case studies for improving critical thinking and clinical reasoning in an entry-level DPT curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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