Improving the Evidence-Based Practice Skills of Entry-Level Physiotherapy Students through Educational Interventions: A Scoping Review of Literature

Arben Boshnjaku; Solveig A Arnadottir; Adrien Pallot; Marlies Wagener; Marja Äijö

doi:10.3390/ijerph20166605

Improving the Evidence-Based Practice Skills of Entry-Level Physiotherapy Students through Educational Interventions: A Scoping Review of Literature

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Aug 18;20(16):6605. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20166605.

Authors

Arben Boshnjaku¹, Solveig A Arnadottir², Adrien Pallot^{3

4}, Marlies Wagener⁵, Marja Äijö⁶

Affiliations

¹ Physiotherapy Department, University "Fehmi Agani" in Gjakova, 50000 Gjakova, Kosovo.
² Department of Physical Therapy, University of Iceland, 102 Reykjavik, Iceland.
³ Physiotherapy Department, Centre Européen d'Enseignement en Rééducation et Réadaptation Fonctionnelle, 93200 Saint-Denis, France.
⁴ Institut d'Ingénierie de la Santé, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 80000 Amiens, France.
⁵ Center of Expertise Innovations in Care, Rotterdam University of Applied Science, 3015 EK Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
⁶ School of Health Care, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, 70210 Kuopio, Finland.

Abstract

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is an essential approach in healthcare, attracting growing interest among both practitioners and researchers. This scoping review aims to (1) systematically investigate the effectiveness of pedagogical methods used to facilitate learning of the EBP approach, and (2) explore the perceptions, experiences, and issues related to these learning methods. The overarching purpose is to identify the state of the art in pedagogical methods, instruments, influences, and barriers in teaching and learning EBP within entry-level physiotherapy education programs. This scoping review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, with PubMed and Eric databases being searched for peer-reviewed original research articles using a combination of keywords. Excluding non-pertinent articles from the initial 465 identified, 12 were eligible for final inclusion (5 quantitative, 3 qualitative, and 4 mixed-methodology studies). A range of pedagogical methods and instruments for teaching EBP in physiotherapy education were detected, all of which having the capability to positively affect physiotherapy outcomes. Findings from this study support the significant influence that EBP exerts on the improving of the quality of teaching, together with the necessities that the involvement of EBP in physiotherapy education programs provide. Several barriers were identified, which should be taken into consideration when designing population-specific EBP strategies tailored to these particular needs.

Keywords: entry level; evidence-based medicine; physical therapy; physiotherapy education; rehabilitation.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Educational Status
Evidence-Based Practice
Humans
Learning*
Physical Therapy Modalities
Students*

Grants and funding

This research has been funded by European Network of Physiotherapy in Higher Education (ENPHE) Research Fund, University of Iceland Research Fund, Centre Européen d’Enseignement en Rééducation et Réadaptation Fonctionnelle Research Fund, Rotterdam University of Applied Science Research Fund and Savonia University Applied Sciences Research Fund.