Developing consensus on competency-based educational standards in orthopaedic manual physical therapy fellowship training: findings from a modified Delphi part 4: systems-based practice and patient management.

Abstract

Background: Competency-based education (CBE) emphasizes mastery of defined competencies rather than time-based progression. Within orthopedic manual physical therapy (OMPT), the evolving evidence supports person-centered, evidence-informed care, requiring fellowship training standards that reflect this shift. Among the seven proposed domains of competence, Systems-Based Practice (SBP) and Patient Management (PM) are essential. SBP focuses on navigating healthcare systems, interprofessional collaboration, and advocacy, while PM emphasizes delivering comprehensive, value-based care through evidence-informed, person-centered approaches. Consensus on competencies for these domains in OMPT fellowship training remains unclear.

Objective: To achieve an international consensus on competencies and graduation milestones for OMPT fellowship training in SBP and PM.

Methods: A modified three-Round Delphi study was conducted. In Round I, nine content experts drafted competencies and milestones. Rounds II and III invited stakeholders from the International Federation of Manual and Musculoskeletal Physical Therapists (IFOMPT) member organizations via web-based surveys. Consensus was defined a priori as ≥ 80% agreement. Descriptive statistics and composite scores were used to assess the strength of agreement. The reporting in this study follows guidelines from the Accurate Consensus Reporting Document (ACCORD).

Results: Systems-Based Practice (SBP): Five competencies and 19 milestoneswere proposed; four competencies achieved consensus (health screening, healtheducation, healthcare system navigation, health policy and advocacy). PatientManagement (PM): Six competencies and 17 milestones achieved consensus,with the strongest support for evidence-informed treatment implementation,person-centered care, cultural and social sensitivity, and outcomeoptimization. Lesser support was observed for applying the human movementsystem framework.

Conclusions: Findingsunderscore the importance of competencies that promote leadership, advocacy,and evidence-informed, person-centered care in OMPT fellowship training. Gapsin consensus regarding quality improvement and the application of movementsystems highlight areas for future study or development. These resultscontribute to a global framework for advanced OMPT fellowship-level education.