The Effect of Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice on the Clinical Practice Performance of Physical Therapy Students in Pediatrics: A Comparative Study

Objective

To investigate how Physical therapy (PT) students’ clinical practice performance is affected by the assessment of physiotherapy practice (APP).

Methods

Students enroled at Capital Medical University's Rehabilitation School of Medicine between 2016 and 2019 were included in this study. Students enroled in 2018 and 2019 were assigned to the observation group, while those enroled in 2016 and 2017 were assigned to the control group. The clinical practice model handled by APP tools was given to students in the observation group, whereas the standard clinical practice model was given to students in the control group. Following the practice, students completed a questionnaire survey and took the graduation exam, which consisted of a theoretical examination and a practical examination. The two groups’ performances on these assessments were compared.

Results

The observation group outperformed the control group in both theoretical and practical assessment results (p < 0.05). Following their internship, the observation group showed considerably higher improvements in the acquisition of theoretical knowledge, training in clinical thinking and the operation ability than the control group (p < 0.05). However, no significant differences were found between the groups in communication skills, teamwork ability, and safety risk management (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

The practice teaching model under APP management is superior to the traditional clinical practice model in improving students’ theoretical knowledge, clinical reasoning, and practical skills in pediatric PT. However, both models showed similar outcomes in developing communication skills, teamwork ability, and safety risk management. These findings suggest that APP can be an effective tool for enhancing specific aspects of clinical practice performance in PT education.