Dumas J-P1, Dubois C1, Fournier K-A1, L'Espérance C1, Routhier M1, Salvas A1, Thivierge M-A1
1Université de Sherbrooke, School of Rehabilitation, Sherbrooke, Canada
Background: Cervical vascular disease (CVD) could have very important implications for physical therapy practice, but the very complex nature of the clinical reasoning (CR) process involved in this context makes it difficult for physical therapy students and clinicians to take the best decisions. Previous studies on the use of virtual patients in health sciences education have shown promising results for the development of clinical reasoning in many different contexts.
Purpose: The objective of the study was to evaluate the use of a virtual patients (VP) module for CVD as a study tool for physical therapy students. It was hypothesized that the use of the VP module would improve students' CR by allowing them to practice clinical decision making in different CVD scenarios.
Methods: The population consisted of three different cohorts of students of the Physical Therapy Program at the Université de Sherbrooke. The VP modules were developed by the authors on a Moodle platform and based on study cases found in the literature. All students of the three cohorts (n=112) answered a 14 question exam assessing their CR on CVD, before and after their use of the VP modules. The exam questions were validated through a rigorous process. Results were analyzed between different cohorts and within one cohort.
Results: There was a significant difference (Wilcoxon signed rank-test, Z=-2.47 ; p = 0.013) exam results between the third year pre-module and the fourth year post-module of the 2014-2018 cohort, and between the fourth year pre-module of the 2013-2017 cohort and the fourth year post-module of the 2014-2018 cohort (Mann-Whitney, Z=-2.15 ; p = 0.031). However, there was no significant difference between the third year pre-module of the 2014-2018 cohort and the third year post-module of the 2015-2019 cohort (Mann-Whitney, Z=-0.88; p = 0.374).
Conclusion(s): Based on the results of our study, it seems that a VP module could have a positive effect on the CR skills of physical therapy students in the context of CVD.
Implications: The use of virtual patient modules could be beneficial to facilitate the clinical reasoning of physical therapy students, however the topics and the timing of the modules should be carefully chosen in order to maximize their benefit. For example, in the context of our physical therapy program, it seems to be more appropriate to use the VP modules with fourth year students rather than third year students.
Keywords: Cervical vascular disease, clinical reasoning, virtual patient
Funding acknowledgements: This work was supported by the School of Rehabilitation of the Université de Sherbrooke.
Purpose: The objective of the study was to evaluate the use of a virtual patients (VP) module for CVD as a study tool for physical therapy students. It was hypothesized that the use of the VP module would improve students' CR by allowing them to practice clinical decision making in different CVD scenarios.
Methods: The population consisted of three different cohorts of students of the Physical Therapy Program at the Université de Sherbrooke. The VP modules were developed by the authors on a Moodle platform and based on study cases found in the literature. All students of the three cohorts (n=112) answered a 14 question exam assessing their CR on CVD, before and after their use of the VP modules. The exam questions were validated through a rigorous process. Results were analyzed between different cohorts and within one cohort.
Results: There was a significant difference (Wilcoxon signed rank-test, Z=-2.47 ; p = 0.013) exam results between the third year pre-module and the fourth year post-module of the 2014-2018 cohort, and between the fourth year pre-module of the 2013-2017 cohort and the fourth year post-module of the 2014-2018 cohort (Mann-Whitney, Z=-2.15 ; p = 0.031). However, there was no significant difference between the third year pre-module of the 2014-2018 cohort and the third year post-module of the 2015-2019 cohort (Mann-Whitney, Z=-0.88; p = 0.374).
Conclusion(s): Based on the results of our study, it seems that a VP module could have a positive effect on the CR skills of physical therapy students in the context of CVD.
Implications: The use of virtual patient modules could be beneficial to facilitate the clinical reasoning of physical therapy students, however the topics and the timing of the modules should be carefully chosen in order to maximize their benefit. For example, in the context of our physical therapy program, it seems to be more appropriate to use the VP modules with fourth year students rather than third year students.
Keywords: Cervical vascular disease, clinical reasoning, virtual patient
Funding acknowledgements: This work was supported by the School of Rehabilitation of the Université de Sherbrooke.
Topic: Education: methods of teaching & learning; Musculoskeletal: spine
Ethics approval required: No
Institution: Université de Sherbrooke
Ethics committee: Comité d’éthique en Éducation et sciences sociales
Reason not required: The project was related to the evaluation of an approved change in our program curriculum and based on our institution’s criteria, formal ethical approval was not necessary
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
