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Ethiopia recently introduced the Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT) degree at Addis Ababa University as a mechanism to increase the work force capacity of primary care providers in the health sector. The DPT program was supported by an international academic partnership and was designed to empower physiotherapists as leaders to move the profession forward. The curriculum was framed by core pedagogical principles and strategies and was phased into two programs. First, the 4-year Advanced Standing DPT program focused on developing registered Ethiopian physiotherapists with Bachelor of Science degrees as academic faculty. Second, these new faculty would then sustain a 6-year Generic DPT program that would matriculate students upon graduation from high school. The curriculum represented depth and breadth of foundation and clinical sciences, evidence-based practice, clinical reasoning skills, and interprofessional education opportunities. A leadership thread provided opportunities to develop skills necessary to effectively navigate and manage the challenges faced by the profession. The main outcomes included (1) an 8-year international partnership, (2) the academic performance of students, and (3) and leadership capabilities as demonstrated through activities and assignments. While the program has been criticized as an unnecessary extravagance for Ethiopia, the advantages of the DPT degree were revealed in a direct comparison to other academic physiotherapy programs in Ethiopia. In the end, because the DPT is new to the country, it will take time to fully understand the true impact within the Ethiopian health system.

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Objectives: Patients with low back pain (LBP) commonly have lumbopelvic control deficits. Lumbopelvic assessment during sagittal motion is incorporated into commonly used clinical examination algorithms for Treatment Based Classification. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether combined assessment of lumbopelvic control during sagittal and frontal plane motion discriminates between people with and without LBP better than single plane assessment alone. Methods: Nineteen patients with LBP and 18 healthy control participants volunteered for this study. The active straight leg raise (ASLR) and active hip abduction (AHAbd) tests were used to assess lumbopelvic control during sagittal and frontal plane motion, respectively. The tests were scored as positive or negative using published scoring criteria. Contingency tables were created for each test alone and for the combined tests (both positive/both negative) with presence/absence of LBP as the reference standard to calculate accuracy statistics of sensitivity (sn), specificity (sp), likelihood (zLR and 2LR), and diagnostic odds ratios (OR). Results: Active straight leg raise and AHAbd tests alone had sn of 0.63, 0.74, respectively, sp of 0.61, 0.50, respectively, and OR of 2.7, 2.8, respectively. The combined tests had sn50.89, sp50.60, and OR512.0. Forty percent of patients with LBP had control deficits in both planes of motion. Discussion: The AHAbd and ALSR tests appear to have greater diagnostic discrimination when used in combination than when used independently. A percentage of patients with LBP had control deficits in both planes, while others demonstrated uniplanar deficits only. These findings highlight the importance of multiplanar assessment in patients with LBP.Keywords: Low back pain, Lumbopelvic assessment, Active straight leg raise, Active hip abduction Level of Evidence: 2b (Diagnosis -exploratory cohort study with independent reference standard). ObjectivesLow back disorders are a significant health care issue in North America with an age-adjusted rate of 27.8% of all people over the age of 18 years reporting low back pain (LBP) each year, 1 and 80% of all individuals experiencing an episode of LBP during their lifetimes. 2 The economic and social impact of LBP is large, accounting for 1 in 25 health care resource visits resulting in an annual cost of $193.9 billion. 1 Despite the enormous resources that are dedicated to management of LBP, successful outcomes remain relatively low, having variable recurrence rates (5-60%) with an estimated 20% progressing into chronicity. 3The majority of individuals seeking treatment for LBP have no detectable structural cause with current imaging techniques and are therefore given the diagnosis of non-specific LBP (ns-LBP).4 Dysfunctional movement strategies, including kinematic and muscle activation differences, have been identified in people with ns-LBP when compared to healthy controls. [5][6][7][8] Asymptomatic people who reported a LBP response to a functional standing task also demonstrated diffe...

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Purpose: The most common approach to physical therapy clinical education is the one-to-one (1:1) model. The collaborative clinical education model (CCEM) offers an alternative and beneficial approach to education but is not widely utilized within physical therapy. The primary aim of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of clinical instructors (CIs) teaching within the CCEM while also receiving structured support from an academic program. Methods: This study used semi-structured interviews before and after the CCEM experience to explore CI perceptions. CIs received formalized support that included pre-experience meetings, a CCEM Toolkit resource, scheduled follow-ups during the experience, and a post-clinical debriefing. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a qualitative data analysis program and collaborative coding process. Results: CIs’ perceptions of the CCEM shifted following participation. Participants noted a need to be prepared with appropriate teaching strategies, have frequent communication with the academic program, and have a supportive clinical environment. Conclusion: CI participation in the CCEM is challenged by negative perceptions and lack of experience with collaborative learning. CI perceptions of the CCEM can become more positive after actually teaching in the CCEM; therefore, perceived challenges need to be addressed to increase CI participation. The CCEM may be more widely accepted if CIs’ perceived challenges are addressed in partnership with an academic program with intentional CCEM training and support strategies.

This study examined the relationship between communication and nursing students' team performance by determining whether variations in team performance are related to differences in communication regarding five task-relevant functions: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. The study results indicate a positive relationship between nursing students' team performance and comments focused on the implementation of treatment(s) and the evaluation of treatment options. A negative relationship between nursing students' team performance and miscellaneous comments made by team members was also observed.