Diagnostic thinking skills of filipino physical therapists

eS480

WCPT Congress 2015 / Physiotherapy 2015; Volume 101, Supplement 1 eS427–eS632

Research Report Poster Presentation Number: RR-PO-02-16-Sat Saturday 2 May 2015 13:00 Exhibit halls 401–403 DIAGNOSTIC THINKING SKILLS OF FILIPINO PHYSICAL THERAPISTS M.E. Grageda 1 , E. Rotor 2 1 University

of the Philippines-Manila, National Teacher Training Center for the Health Professions, Manila, Philippines; 2 University of the Philippines Manila, College of Allied Medical Professions, Manila, Philippines Background: Although a diagnosis is widely associated with medicine, this term and process is not exclusive to that discipline. In physical therapy the use of diagnosis directs treatment based on information obtained through client interview, examination and outcome of tests performed. Development of this skill does not end in school. Exposure and experience through practice, supplemented by continuing education will enable progress in the level of diagnostic thinking of PT practitioners. Purpose: To determine the association of diagnostic thinking ability of Filipino PT’s to their age group, years of practice, practice area, and practice setting. Methods: The Diagnostic Thinking Inventory of Bordage, Grant & Marsden (1990) was administered to participants to the general assembly of the Philippine Physical Therapy Association, Inc., the national professional organization of physical therapists. It is a tool composed of 41 items where respondents are asked to rate themselves along a 6-point scale, both ends representing extreme positions. The tool has two subscales: ‘flexibility in thinking’ and ‘structure of memory’. Scores are arrived at by computing for the sum of the response to each item. Results: 52 participants consented to complete the DTI. The tests of associations show that taken individually, age category, practice experience, practice setting, and practice area are not predictive of the level of diagnostic thinking ability. However, the interaction of age category, practice experience and practice setting is a promising predictor of the probability of obtaining a high level of diagnostic thinking ability. Young, novice PT’s in specialty practice are most likely to achieve a high level of diagnostic thinking ability, as well as young, competent therapists working in hospital settings. Novice clinicians tend to use the trial and error approach that is associated with the hypothetico-deductive reasoning, the theoretical basis for the DTI. In hospital settings, physical therapists are referred a variety of conditions that can be made more complicated by acute or unstable medical conditions. The more competent clinicians, working 4 to 6 years, may already have a better grasp at this variety of conditions and are already more comfortable in handling possible complications allowing them to diagnose better. In specialty practice,

only specific conditions are seen and are usually medically stable. This allows young clinicians to focus on a specific condition or patient group, increasing their depth of knowledge and experience, leading to increased opportunities to hone their diagnostic thinking skills. Conclusion(s): Practice area has no effect on the diagnostic ability of physical therapists. The interaction of age, practice experience and practice setting may be used as a predictor of the level of diagnostic ability of young, competent therapists who practice in a hospital or specialty settings. Implications: Results can be used in identifying training needs of physical therapists as a basis for development of appropriate continuing education programs, and identifying areas for improvement that can be taught early in the process of training PT students. Keywords: Diagnostic thinking; Clinical reasoning; Clinical decision making Funding acknowledgements: No funding. Ethics approval: Informed consent process was followed. Informed consent form was signed by all participants before completing the questionnaires. Participation was voluntary. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2015.03.3272 Special Interest Report Poster Presentation Number: SI-PO-02-13-Mon Monday 4 May 2015 12:15 Exhibit halls 401–403 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR USE OF THE 2:1 STUDENT: CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR MODEL IN ACUTE CARE SETTINGS C. Graham 1 , D.H. Lein Jr. 1 , T.S. Pearce 1 , L. Freeman 2 1 University

of Alabama at Birmingham, Physical Therapy, Birmingham, United States; 2 Trinity Medical Center, Physical Therapy, Birmingham, United States Background: The placement of physical therapy students in acute care clinical education experiences can be challenging. One possible solution is to adopt the 2:1 student to clinical instructor (CI) collaborative clinical education model (2:1 model), thus decreasing the number of acute care CIs and placements needed. Previously reported benefits of the 2:1 model in PT and other health professions include increased productivity, collaborative learning, and critical thinking. Reported concerns include potential of personality conflicts and issues if students have varied levels of clinical skills and confidence. Purpose: The purpose of this presentation is to describe factors that influence the success of the 2:1 model in acute care settings and to provide recommendations for use of the this model. Methods: Five triads (2 Doctor of Physical Therapy students: one clinical instructor, N = 15) were studied over 2