Aches, Pains, Sprains, and Strains: Incorporating Online MP3 Media in Medical Screening for Patient Referral Physical Therapy Curricula

Abstract

Background and Purpose. Online media player 3 (mp3) media has the potential to be a user-friendly method for improving student learning of medical screening and patient referral in physical therapy curricula. The purpose of this case report is to describe educational multimedia innovations used in the “Medical Screening for Patient Referral” course at the Mount Saint Mary's University (MSMU), Los Angeles Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. Case Description. Physical therapist (PT) students in their final academic year accessed 3 consecutive years of archives from a monthly online national public radio (NPR: The Larry Meiller Show) mp3 media program titled “Aches, Pains, Sprains and Strains - Talk to Your Physical Therapist.” Based on information provided by the callers, PT students determined whether callers required further medical screening in a writing assignment. Upon completion of the assignment and classroom group discussions, a face-to-face videoconferencing between one of the PTs from the NPR program and PT students was conducted to discuss the challenge of screening callers for patient referral and relevance to clinical practice. Outcomes. The archived online mp3 media program was incorporated into a medical screening course with minimal faculty resources and positive student feedback. Overall, PTs on the mp3 media program noted 12.3% of 608 callers in 3 years required a physician referral. In addition, the majority of the callers were not examined by a physician prior to speaking with PTs. Discussion and Conclusion. An online mp3 media program that screens callers with aches, pains, sprains, and strains may provide an additional educational strategy to reinforce decision-making skills necessary for medical screening and patient referral in physical therapy curricula. Classroom discussion with PT students and faculty are warranted to discern medical screening cases from online mp3 media requiring a physician referral.