Clinical activity profile of physiotherapy students in a regional student-led musculoskeletal clinic: A retrospective study

Abstract

The study aimed to quantify the clinical activity profile of physiotherapy students within a regional student-led musculoskeletal clinic. A retrospective clinical audit examined all occasions of service (OOS) delivered during 2018. Demographic data and student to clinical educator (CE) ratio were also collected. Descriptive statistics were used to describe patient demographics. The average OOS per student per week between student to CE ratios (i.e., 2:1 and 3:1 group) were analysed using a repeated measures ANOVA. A total of 214 clients were included (mean age 40.9 years (SD 20.4) with 66.5% being female (n = 133)). The shoulder (19.3%) was the most assessed/treated region, followed by the knee (18.9%), and ankle/foot (16.2%). Analysis revealed a main effect of week (p<0.001), but not for student to CE ratio (p=0.125). There was no interaction of week by student to CE ratio (p=0.528). Post hoc analysis revealed the average OOS per student per week was lower for week 1 than in weeks 2, 3, and 4, with a small but statistically significant decrease in average OOS from week 4 to 5. Overall, students attending a regional student-led musculoskeletal clinic see a variety of clinical presentations, from clients across the lifespan, with increasing OOS across the placement.

Long-term changes in physical fitness components determining motor performance of young people studying physiotherapy in 2001-2020

“…The continuation of such a trend is therefore a worrying prognosis, especially since the currently identi ed negative changes in the components of physical tness supporting motor achievements may also result from the resignation of the tness exam in the recruitment process in the second decade and previous physical experience, as well as the lack of sports activity by a large proportion of people before and during their studies. It is also possible that young people undertaking physiotherapy studies limit or identify their own physical activity with later clinical activity, which is increasingly carried out as part of apprenticeships included in the study program 34,35 . This type of attention to physical tness differs signi cantly from the one in sports activity and certainly does not bring the same effects.…”