Mothabeng DJ1, Bohmer S1, Greef S1, Heinrich G1, Masilela N1, Ndlela L1, Van der Walt N1, Quartey J2
1University of Pretoria, Physiotherapy, Pretoria, South Africa, 2University of Ghana, Physiotherapy, Accra, Ghana
Background: Clinical education is a critical component of physiotherapy education programs, essential for preparing undergraduate physiotherapy students to gain professional knowledge, develop technical skills and become competent for independent practice. Some studies have shown that a relationship exists between clinical performance and lifestyle, preclinical knowledge and emotional intelligence; but, limited studies have been conducted in a South African context regarding this topic.
Purpose: To determine Correlation of lifestyle, preclinical knowledge and emotional intelligence with the first clinical block performance of physiotherapy students.
Methods: The study utilized an observational analytical cross-sectional design and was conducted on a convenience sample of 36 third and 34 fourth year physiotherapy students from the University of Pretoria. Data collected included the students' end of first clinical block marks and the previous end of year clinical marks from departmental records, lifestyle scores measured with the Simple Lifestyle Indicator Questionnaire (SLIQ), and emotional intelligence scores measured with the Assessing Emotions Scale (AES). Data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet, exported to and analyzed using the MedCalc® Statistics Program and SPSS Version 25. Descriptive and relevant inferential statistics were used, with the significance at 0.05.
Results: Significant correlations were found between first clinical block marks and previous clinical knowledge (p=0.01) as well as first clinical block performance and item five of the AES (p=0.045). Lifestyle and overall emotional intelligence showed no significant correlation with the first clinical block marks. Significant differences were found between third and analyzed students in terms of the life stress subscale of the SLIQ and the total SLIQ score.
Conclusion(s): Previous knowledge is a significant contributor to the clinical performance of physiotherapy students. Therefore it needs to be emphasized in the pre-clinical preparation to ensure readiness and success in the clinical learning environment. Only one item on the AES was associated with the students performance, suggesting the need for furthe investigations.
Implications: Further research using a longitudinal study and incorporating demographic variables is needed to get a better picture of correlates and possible predictors of clinical performance.
Keywords: clinical performance, lifestyle, emotional intelligence
Funding acknowledgements: None
Purpose: To determine Correlation of lifestyle, preclinical knowledge and emotional intelligence with the first clinical block performance of physiotherapy students.
Methods: The study utilized an observational analytical cross-sectional design and was conducted on a convenience sample of 36 third and 34 fourth year physiotherapy students from the University of Pretoria. Data collected included the students' end of first clinical block marks and the previous end of year clinical marks from departmental records, lifestyle scores measured with the Simple Lifestyle Indicator Questionnaire (SLIQ), and emotional intelligence scores measured with the Assessing Emotions Scale (AES). Data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet, exported to and analyzed using the MedCalc® Statistics Program and SPSS Version 25. Descriptive and relevant inferential statistics were used, with the significance at 0.05.
Results: Significant correlations were found between first clinical block marks and previous clinical knowledge (p=0.01) as well as first clinical block performance and item five of the AES (p=0.045). Lifestyle and overall emotional intelligence showed no significant correlation with the first clinical block marks. Significant differences were found between third and analyzed students in terms of the life stress subscale of the SLIQ and the total SLIQ score.
Conclusion(s): Previous knowledge is a significant contributor to the clinical performance of physiotherapy students. Therefore it needs to be emphasized in the pre-clinical preparation to ensure readiness and success in the clinical learning environment. Only one item on the AES was associated with the students performance, suggesting the need for furthe investigations.
Implications: Further research using a longitudinal study and incorporating demographic variables is needed to get a better picture of correlates and possible predictors of clinical performance.
Keywords: clinical performance, lifestyle, emotional intelligence
Funding acknowledgements: None
Topic: Education: clinical; Education: clinical; Education: clinical
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: University of Pretoria
Ethics committee: Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee
Ethics number: 541/2017
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
