Randomized Controlled Trial of Online Education for Physiotherapy Students to Improve the Management of Rotator Cuff Related Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain is one of society's most common musculoskeletal problems, with a prevalence defined between 16-26%. Almost 70% of shoulder pain complaints are caused by pathologies associated with the rotator cuff. Conservative treatments including physiotherapy are widely accepted as a first-line treatment approach in the management of shoulder pain and on the other hand, the variety of physiotherapy practice is conspicuous. Despite the majority of physiotherapists provide treatment in line with current evidence, passive modalities are still highly preferred by some physiotherapists. The gap between research evidence and practice could be slightly due to the lack of an up-to-date undergraduate physiotherapy curriculum about the RCRSP. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop the '' Rotator Cuff Related Shoulder Pain E-learning Program'' and evaluate its effect on students' knowledge and clinical reasoning skills related to evidence-based RCRSP interventions and their levels of confidence to have this knowledge compared with a control group. A randomized controlled trial including 146 4th grade physiotherapy students will be conducted. Students will be randomized into an e-learning group (n=73) or wait-list control group (n=73). The primary outcome will be the RCRSP achievement test, and the secondary outcome will be the self-reported confidence in knowledge and clinical reasoning skills related to RCRSP. All data will be collected through an online survey, which will be applied in two different time periods: pre-intervention and post-intervention. All groups will first answer the questionnaire at the beginning (week 0) and after the study group's e-learning activity (4-5 weeks).