Excellence in Academic Physical Therapy: Promoting a Culture of Data Sharing

Sara E North; Ken Kosior; Peter Altenburger; Stuart Binder-Macleod; Jacklyn Brechter; Harsha Deoghare; Kimberly Topp

doi:10.1097/JTE.0000000000000315

Excellence in Academic Physical Therapy: Promoting a Culture of Data Sharing

J Phys Ther Educ. 2023 Dec 1;37(S1):1-9. doi: 10.1097/JTE.0000000000000315. Epub 2023 Oct 18.

Authors

Sara E North^{1

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7}, Ken Kosior^{1

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7}, Peter Altenburger^{1

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7}, Stuart Binder-Macleod^{1

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7}, Jacklyn Brechter^{1

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7}, Harsha Deoghare^{1

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7}, Kimberly Topp^{1

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Affiliations

¹ Sara E. North is the director of educational innovation and evaluation in the Division of Physical Therapy-Medical School at the University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (snorth@umn.edu). Please address all correspondence to Sara E. North.
² Ken Kosior is the chair in the Department of Physical Therapy at the Quinnipiac University.
³ Peter Altenburger is the chair in the Department of Physical Therapy at the Indiana University.
⁴ Stuart Binder-Macleod is the Edward L. Ratledge professor emeritus in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Delaware.
⁵ Jacklyn Brechter is the developing program director at the Southern California University of Health Sciences.
⁶ Harsha Deoghare is the chair in the Department of Physical Therapy Education Western at the University of Health Sciences.
⁷ Kimberly Topp is the professor and chair emeritus in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at the University of California San Francisco.

PMID: 38478796
DOI: 10.1097/JTE.0000000000000315

Abstract

Background and purpose: Data analytics are increasingly important in health professions education to identify trends and inform organizational change in rapidly evolving environments. Unfortunately, limitations exist in data currently available to determine physical therapy (PT) academic excellence. It is imperative that the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) be able to demonstrate data-informed progress in addressing the common challenges faced by Doctor of Physical Therapy programs.

Position and rationale: The Task Force to Explore Data and Technology to Evaluate Program Outcomes was convened by ACAPT to explore current and desired data and the needs, technology, and costs that would be required for ACAPT to assess program outcomes relative to excellence criteria. The Task Force performed a gap analysis of measures of excellence, provided evidence-based recommendations for advancing the use of data and technology systems in academic PT, and generated a comprehensive Assessment Excellence Map that subsequently led to a new streamlined Excellence Framework in the launch of the ACAPT Center for Excellence.

Discussion and conclusion: The vision of universal excellence in PT education necessitates clear alignment and centralization of common data to support efficient processes to assess excellence. The transformative nature of data is untapped in PT academic endeavors, and nascent work to establish and sustain a culture of centralized data sharing and assessment will help to drive program-level and profession-level excellence in PT education.

MeSH terms

Information Dissemination*
Physical Therapy Modalities*
United States