Background and Purpose. An important part of treatment planning in physical therapy is effective goal setting. The Guide to Physical Therapist Practice recommends that therapists should identify the patient's goals and objectives during the initial examination in order to maximize outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine whether therapists seek to involve patients in goal setting and, if so, what methods they use. Therapists' attitudes toward participation and patient satisfaction with the examination were also examined. Subjects and Methods. Twenty-two physical therapists audiotaped the initial examination of 73 elderly patients (Xϭ76.4 years of age, SDϭ7.1, rangeϭ65-94). The audiotaped examinations were then scored using the Participation Method Assessment Instrument (PMAI) to determine the frequency of attempts made by therapists to involve patients in goal setting. Therapists and patients completed surveys following the examinations. Results. Therapists' use of participation methods during examinations ranged from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 19 out of 21 possible items on the PMAI. The therapists stated that they believed that it is important to include patients in goal-setting activities and that outcomes will be improved if patients participate. Patients also indicated that participation is important to them. Discussion and Conclusion. In most cases, the therapists did not fully take advantage of the potential for patient participation in goal setting. Patient and therapist education is needed regarding methods for patient participation during initial goal-setting activities. [Baker SM, Marshak HH, Rice GT, Zimmerman GJ. Patient participation in physical therapy goal setting. Phys Ther. 2001;81:1118 -1126
The findings support the following recommendations for program administrators and experienced faculty members to assist new faculty members in adapting to academia: (a) support and develop new avenues for sharing ideas in formal and informal settings; (b) develop mentoring programs, with new faculty members observing experienced teachers and receiving feedback and assistance for their own teaching; (c) encourage attendance at instructional seminars; (d) provide resource materials and texts on improving teaching and research skills; (e) allow time for research; and (f) encourage coauthoring of publications.
Teaching universities, while claiming to value good teaching, do little to help individual faculty members improve learning in their classrooms. One effective way to help teachers reflect on their teaching and improve their teaching skills is to have a colleague observe and discuss the teaching episode, yet these dialogues seem to be rare. Visits to the classroom, if they occur at all, are usually summative, with little or no discussion, and typically used for the purposes of evaluation. The formative dialogues program, however, provides opportunities for faculty members to request a collegial, nonthreatening observation and discussion of a teaching session. The program is easy to administer and promises to provide opportunities to enhance the learning environment of the health professional classroom.. (J Chiropr Educ 2012;26(1):62-67)
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