Enhancing Screening Competencies in Bachelor Degree Education
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 进行中（未招募）
- 发起方
- 入组人数
- 400
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Red Flag Screening
研究概览
简要总结
Background Physiotherapists are increasingly expected to act as first-contact practitioners in many healthcare systems. With the growing expansion of direct access to physiotherapy services, clinicians must be able to identify serious medical conditions that require referral to a physician rather than physiotherapeutic treatment. These conditions are commonly described as "Red Flags." Red flag screening refers to the clinical process of identifying signs and symptoms that may indicate serious underlying pathology such as malignancy, fracture, infection, neurological compromise, or cardiovascular disease. Failure to recognize these conditions may delay appropriate medical care and can pose a significant risk to patient safety.
Despite the growing responsibility of physiotherapists in primary care settings, research suggests that screening competencies among physiotherapy students and early-career clinicians may vary considerably depending on the structure and emphasis of educational programs. Many physiotherapy curricula still primarily focus on musculoskeletal management, while structured training in clinical screening and differential decision-making remains inconsistently implemented.
In response to these developments, international professional organizations such as the International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (IFOMPT) have published clinical frameworks and recommendations emphasizing the importance of systematic screening in physiotherapy practice.
However, empirical research investigating how screening competencies can be effectively developed and assessed during undergraduate physiotherapy education remains limited. This gap in the literature represents an important challenge for physiotherapy education and patient safety.
The overarching goal of this PhD project is therefore to investigate whether digitally standardized, video-based training and assessment approaches can improve red flag screening competencies among physiotherapy bachelor students.
详细描述
Background Physiotherapists are increasingly expected to act as first-contact practitioners in many healthcare systems. With the growing expansion of direct access to physiotherapy services, clinicians must be able to identify serious medical conditions that require referral to a physician rather than physiotherapeutic treatment. These conditions are commonly described as "Red Flags." Red flag screening refers to the clinical process of identifying signs and symptoms that may indicate serious underlying pathology such as malignancy, fracture, infection, neurological compromise, or cardiovascular disease. Failure to recognize these conditions may delay appropriate medical care and can pose a significant risk to patient safety.
Despite the growing responsibility of physiotherapists in primary care settings, research suggests that screening competencies among physiotherapy students and early-career clinicians may vary considerably depending on the structure and emphasis of educational programs. Many physiotherapy curricula still primarily focus on musculoskeletal management, while structured training in clinical screening and differential decision-making remains inconsistently implemented.
In response to these developments, international professional organizations such as the International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (IFOMPT) have published clinical frameworks and recommendations emphasizing the importance of systematic screening in physiotherapy practice.
However, empirical research investigating how screening competencies can be effectively developed and assessed during undergraduate physiotherapy education remains limited. This gap in the literature represents an important challenge for physiotherapy education and patient safety.
The overarching goal of this PhD project is therefore to investigate whether digitally standardized, video-based training and assessment approaches can improve red flag screening competencies among physiotherapy bachelor students.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Crossover
- 主要目的
- Prevention
- 盲法
- Single (Participant)
入排标准
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •Participants must meet the following criteria to be eligible for inclusion in the study:
- •Enrollment in a Bachelor-level physiotherapy program at one of the participating universities.
- •Students currently in the clinical phase of their education (e.g., semesters 3-6), when foundational knowledge in musculoskeletal assessment and clinical reasoning has already been introduced.
- •Ability to understand and complete video-based clinical case assessments in the language used for the study.
- •Provision of written informed consent to participate in the study. Willingness to complete both baseline and follow-up assessments within the study period.
排除标准
- •Participants will be excluded from the study if any of the following criteria apply:
- •Students in early semesters who have not yet received basic training in clinical assessment and musculoskeletal physiotherapy.
- •Students who have previously completed advanced external training specifically focused on red flag screening or differential diagnosis, which could bias baseline competency levels.
- •Inability to complete the online video-based assessments due to technical limitations or language barriers.
- •Failure to provide informed consent. Incomplete participation in the baseline assessment, making comparison with post-intervention outcomes impossible.
结局指标
主要结局
Red Flag Screening
时间窗: 18 weeks
Primary Outcome Measure Accuracy of Red Flag Identification The primary outcome of the study is the accuracy with which physiotherapy students identify potentially serious medical conditions (Red Flags) when evaluating standardized video-based clinical cases. Participants are required to classify each case into predefined clinical decision categories: medically critical condition requiring immediate referral, non-critical condition suitable for physiotherapy treatment, or trial treatment with monitoring. Accuracy is determined by comparing student responses with expert-defined reference classifications developed prior to the study. The outcome will be quantified as the percentage of correct classifications across all presented cases.
Red Flag Screening
时间窗: 16 weeks
Primary Outcome Measure Accuracy of Red Flag Identification The primary outcome of the study is the accuracy with which physiotherapy students identify potentially serious medical conditions (Red Flags) when evaluating standardized video-based clinical cases. Participants are required to classify each case into predefined clinical decision categories: medically critical condition requiring immediate referral, non-critical condition suitable for physiotherapy treatment, or trial treatment with monitoring. Accuracy is determined by comparing student responses with expert-defined reference classifications developed prior to the study. The outcome will be quantified as the percentage of correct classifications across all presented cases.
次要结局
未报告次要终点
研究者
Rudolf Knipp
PhDr, MSc
Paracelsus Medical University