The aim of this study is to develop and publish a catalogue of learning objectives for informatic-related skills for physiotherapists in undergraduate education as a basis for curricular implementation.
The international learning objectives list for healthcare professions from the HITCOMP initiative was filtered and adapted to the specific requirements of physiotherapy. The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) was chosen to assign appropriate competence levels.
Domains of physiotherapy informatics were defined based on existing international recommendations.
The work was conducted by two researchers independently and then joined. Where no consent could be achieved, further experts were consulted.
Altogether, 64 learning objectives were extracted from the HITCOMP-list. None of them were excluded. The specification of the learning objectives was guided by the description of the physiotherapy profession (World Physiotherapy). Each learning objective was checked concerning the level of competence and a competence-based formulation.
Seven domains of informatic-related skills for physiotherapists were specified: general knowledge, documentation, work processes and decision support, communication and coordination, data protection and quality management, patient empowerment, and secondary data use. Each of the 64 learning outcomes has been allocated to one of these domains.
The first version of the catalogue is published in English and German language on the web–based platform Health Informatics Learning Objective Navigator (HI-LONa). This platform offers already access to a range of existing learning outcome catalogues in the fields of medical/nursing informatics, biometrics and epidemiology.
To bring learning objectives for informatic-related skills for physiotherapists on a reliable basis, an online Delphi-study is planned. The relevance of each learning objective to physiotherapy for undergraduate education and the according competence levels will be assessed.
The catalogue of learning objectives is a prerequisite for curriculum development and is publicly available through HI-LONa, an open educational resource. Curriculum planners, teachers, or others can use or develop the learning objectives according to their regional needs or national regulations. Thus, the catalogue provides the basis for teaching physiotherapy students the skills they need to work successfully and efficiently in times of digital transformation.
education
Learning outcomes
