SELF-PERCEIVED COMPETENCE AND READINESS OF UNDERGRADUATE PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS IN TREATING PATIENTS WITH SPINAL CORD INJURY

M. Mashola^1,2, T. Bauermeister², C. Urio², A. Michael², R. Masindi², K. Mpe², L. Dippenaar², K. Mostert²

Background: A rise in spinal cord injury incidence rates in South Africa is steadily increasing the demand of healthcare professionals, particularly physiotherapists, to provide continuous rehabilitation to affected individuals. Universities are challenged with the increasing demands to deliver work-ready physiotherapy graduates who possess the necessary knowledge and skill for both acute and chronic conditions as well as promoting health and wellness. Physiotherapy students are taught generic skills that include critical thinking and problem-solving ability, however literature has noted a discrepancy between these generic skills and the student’s clinical skill performance, with a paucity of literature on physiotherapy student’s skills and perceptions of treating patients with spinal cord injury (PWSCI). 

Purpose: To determine the undergraduate physiotherapy students’ self-perceived competence and readiness to treat PWSCI in South Africa.

Methods: A total population sampling approach was used to include all registered fourth year physiotherapy students studying in the South African universities from March to June 2020. Forty-eight students from three universities completed the self-developed online questionnaire that focused on self-perceptions of competence and readiness in spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Fisher’s exact test and Independent T-test were used to determine the associations and differences between completing a spinal cord injury clinical placement and student’s self-perceived competence and readiness to treat PWSCI. Testing was done at .05 level of significance.

Results: We found high levels of self-perceived competence and readiness by physiotherapy students to treat PWSCI (70% and 73% respectively). Students who had completed their spinal cord injury clinical placement perceived themselves more competent in treating PWSCI (p < .01) than those who did not have a spinal cord injury clinical placement (p < .01). Students had a good perception of their theoretical knowledge of spinal cord injury rehabilitation taught prior to their clinical placement (p < .01). Only the students who had treated PWSCI perceived significant ability to prioritise the patients’ functional and impairment problems (p < .05) as well as to identify and set appropriate short and long term goals for the patients (p < .05).

Conclusion(s): Undergraduate physiotherapy students reported high levels of self-perceived competence and readiness to treat PWSCI and perceived themselves as more competent to treat PWSCI if they had completed their spinal cord injury clinical placement. Furthermore, having treated a PWSCI is linked with the perceived ability to develop realistic and achievable goals pivotal for spinal cord injury rehabilitation.

Implications: In addition to practice-based education included in the physiotherapy curricula, a hands-on and in-depth spinal cord injury clinical-based learning is necessary to enhance students’ skills as well their readiness and competence to treat PWSCI. Our results may be used to encourage spinal cord injury lecturers to consider alternative hands-on activities that involve PWSCI should the students not have a spinal cord injury placement, to better improve student’s confidence to treat PWSCI.

Funding, acknowledgements: This work did not receive any funding.

Keywords: Physiotherapy students, Competence and readiness, Patients with spinal cord injury

Topic: Disability & rehabilitation

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: University of Pretoria

Committee: Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee

Ethics number: 773/2019