Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Gross Motor Assessment Tools For Children 0-12 Years Of Age Using Telehealth: A Scoping Review, Claire M. Grant, Anne Jones, Michael Crowe, Helen Land

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Objective: The objective of this review was to understand the scope of evidence relating to the use of telehealth for gross motor assessment tools in children 0-12 years of age.

Background: Telehealth has been widely used by physiotherapists since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, however little is known about the validity and reliability of using gross motor assessment tools via telehealth. Gross motor assessment tools are used by physiotherapists to understand motor function, support diagnoses of motor disorders, plan and evaluate interventions. Qualitative research identifies a lack of confidence by physiotherapists in undertaking physical assessment via telehealth.

Method: A …

Utilization Of Summative Assessment In Physical Therapy Education To Establish Foundations Of Clinical Science Knowledge, Katherine Grevelding, Ken Kosior

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Abstract

Purpose: Doctor of Physical Therapy [DPT] students’ ability to apply, integrate, and synthesize foundations of clinical science knowledge is vital to success in clinical practice. The aim of this case study was to explore summative examination quantification of foundational clinical science knowledge as a benchmark toward competence-based education in the first year of a DPT program. Methods: First year DPT students from a private New England University took the Physical Therapy Foundations of Clinical Science [PT-FCS] exam at the end of the second semester following completion of foundational clinical sciences coursework. The PT-FCS exam is a multiple-choice exam comprised …

Assessment And Diagnostic Practices Relating To Autism Spectrum Disorder In The United States And Mexico, Maria Valdez, Jessica R. Stewart, Wan-Lin Chang, Ruth Crutchfield, Ralph Carlson

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The present study examined and compared professional assessment and diagnostic practices relating to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Mexico and the United States (U.S.). This information is of great importance because there is an extremely limited amount of information pertaining the assessment and diagnostic practices for ASD in Mexico and little is known about how these practices compare to those in the U.S. Methods: Archival data from a survey investigating ASD in the U.S. and Mexico was used for this study. Participants included 29 professionals from the U.S. and 7 professionals from Mexico. Professionals were from a variety of …

An Audit Of The Use Of Simulation In Australian And New Zealand Physiotherapy Curricula, Tayne Ryall, Elisabeth Preston, Niruthikha Mahendran, Bernie Bissett

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The aim of this exploratory research was to investigate the use of simulation in physiotherapy curricula across Australia and New Zealand. The key areas of focus were whether simulation was being used, the forms of simulation used for training and assessment, evidence for educational simulation practices, and the enablers and barriers to implementing simulation into the curricula. Method: All Australian and New Zealand Universities offering a physiotherapy degree were invited to participate in an electronic survey. As no pre-existing tool was available to answer the aims of the study, a custom designed survey was developed. The survey was pilot …

Assessing The Educational Environment Of A Flipped Physical Therapy Course: Utilization Of The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (Dreem), Brad W. Willis, Evan L. Prost, Stephen P. Sayers

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Using valid and reliable measures to assess curricula within health professions programs has gained significant attention in recent years. The educational environment is considered a key domain for student success. The primary aim of this study was to measure the educational environment following the addition of a flipped classroom model within a physical therapy course as measured by the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure.

Methods: A first year doctorate of physical therapy course, “Physical Agents”, was redesigned to include a flipped classroom model, incorporating 24 videos that students reviewed independently, prior to hands-on laboratory learning. Following the conclusion of …

Assessment Of Medical Screening And Clinical Reasoning Skills By Physical Therapy Students In A Simulated Patient Encounter, Therese E. Johnston

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Physical therapists (PTs) screen their patients for medical issues that may present as musculoskeletal conditions. In physical therapy education, learning activities followed by assessment of skills and clinical reasoning is important. The purposes of this study are to 1) demonstrate the feasibility of the use of standardized patients (SPs) and standardized physicians (SPhs) during a practical examination focused on medical screening, and 2) report outcomes related to the students’ abilities to screen for medical issues and make clinical decisions about referral to a physician.

Methods: Students evaluated a standardized patient in an outpatient setting model. After receiving …

Effect Of Experience Facilitating Problem-Based Learning (Pbl) On Physician Assistant Student Outcomes, Susan Hawkins, Anthony Goreczny, Nicole E. Brown

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Abstract

Purpose: The impact of prior problem-based learning (PBL) facilitation experience (measured by length of time facilitating) on student learning and student outcomes is unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate relationships of facilitator experience in problem-based learning on student outcomes. This study utilized both modified essay questions (MEQ) in the form of patient management assessments and multiple choice question (MCQ) assessments to evaluate different aspects of student acquisition and application of knowledge. Method: This study examined scores from six multiple choice question examinations and six patient management assessments (PMA), one each from six 5-week units …

Correlation Of Formative Assessments As The Means Of Predicting Summative Performance In Paramedic Students, William J. Leggio Jr, Alan M. Batt, Jennifer C. Berry, Tom Fentress, Marilee L. Vosper, Kelly Walsh, James Dinsch

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Background: Paramedic programs use formative assessments to determine cognitive competency. Understanding the number of failed formative units as a probability of passing the summative exam will allow programs to set additional benchmarks. The purpose of this study was to determine whether failure in formative exams determines success on a summative exam.

Methods: Formative and summative scores from 2011 – 2016 for paramedic students with accounts in Fisdap™, an Internet-based administrative database, were retrospectively reviewed for the following criteria: provided consent for research, completed all six formative (unit) examinations, and completed a summative (comprehensive) examination. Analyses were performed with Pearson correlations …

Investigating A Physiotherapy Clinical Simulation Assessment Tool Using The Delphi Approach, Anne Jones, Allison Mandrusiak, Belinda Judd, Christopher Gordon, Jennifer Alison

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Simulation in physiotherapy education is increasing, but a standardised assessment tool for student performance in simulation has not been developed. The Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) is a validated tool for student performance in the clinical workplace, and has been used recently for simulation despite its relevance for this context being unknown. The purpose of the study was to gain consensus about which APP items should be included in a tool to assess physiotherapy students’ performance in simulation. The relevance of items was considered for both single patient encounters, and longitudinal (multiple) encounters. Methods: An online Delphi approach …

Examination Of The Inter-Rater Agreement Among Faculty Marking A Research Proposal On An Undergraduate Health Course, Shari Rone-Adams, Sandra Naylor

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: This research looked at inter-rater agreement among faculty marking a research proposal on an undergraduate health course. The purpose of this study was to investigate if there were significant differences between marks as well as the comments given on research proposals that were double marked by two faculty members, where faculty were blind to the other marker’s marks and comments. Subjects: The subjects for this study consisted of 80 final year health students who submitted a research proposal and 13 full-time and 10 part-time faculty members who double marked the proposals. Methods: Faculty pairs marked the proposals independently and …

Informing Discharge Plans. Assessments Of Elderly Patients In Australian Public Hospitals: A Field Study, Karen Grimmer, Esther May, Anna Dawson, Claudia Peoples

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

This paper describes assessment practices related to discharging elderly patients from Australian acute public hospitals. Common assessments were of cognition, continence, wound care, hygiene needs, nutrition, mobility and self-care. Nurses and social workers commonly took non-standardised assessment approaches, whilst therapists were more likely to use published assessment instruments. Patients’ perspectives were rarely incorporated into assessments. The relationship between many common assessment items and patients’ ability to manage safely after discharge from hospital was unclear. The validity of assessment items, the reliability with which assessments were taken, ‘normal’ variability in responses, and interpretation of instrument ‘scores’ with respect to post-discharge independence …