Abstract
BackgroundThe evaluation of competencies in the clinical field is essential for health professionals, as it allows the acquisition of these competencies to be tracked. The objective of this study was to create and evaluate the validity and reliability of a tool for measuring clinical competencies in physical therapy (PT) students to assess the quality of their performance in a professional context.MethodsA descriptive study was designed. The Measurement Tool for Clinical Competencies in PT (MTCCP) was developed based on the evaluation of 39 experts: 15 clinicians and 24 instructors. The content validity was evaluated using the Content Validity Index (CVI). Three professors were invited to apply the tool to 10 students. Cronbach’s alpha, exploratory factor analysis, and the intraclass correlation coefficient were used to determine the reliability and validity of the scale.ResultsThe CVI was positive—higher than 0.8. Principal component analysis confirmed the construct validity of the tool for two main factors: clinical reasoning (first factor) and professional behavior (second factor). With regard to reliability, the MTCCP achieved an internal congruence of 0.982. The inter-evaluator reproducibility for clinical reasoning, professional behavior, and the total MTCCP score was almost perfect; the ICCs were 0.984, 0.930, and 0.983, respectively.ConclusionsThe MTCCP is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the performance of PT students in hospital settings and can be used to determine what skills students feel less confident using and what additional training/learning opportunities could be provided. Further research is needed to determine whether the MTCCP has similar validity and reproducibility in other Spanish-speaking national and international PT programs.
Highlights
The evaluation of competencies in the clinical field is essential for health professionals, as it allows the acquisition of these competencies to be tracked
To establish the theoretical basis for the development of the Measurement Tool for Clinical Competencies in physical therapy (PT) (MTCCP), we reviewed and analyzed technical documents produced by the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT), American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), and the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
We considered the professional competencies established by the Asociación Colombiana de Fisioterapia (ASCOFI)
Summary
The evaluation of competencies in the clinical field is essential for health professionals, as it allows the acquisition of these competencies to be tracked. The objective of this study was to create and evaluate the validity and reliability of a tool for measuring clinical competencies in physical therapy (PT) students to assess the quality of their performance in a professional context. Higher education should be centered on students and should contribute to their personal growth and to their intellectual, psychological, and moral development [2]. The Institute of Medicine has proposed a set of core competencies for all health disciplines that will allow clinicians to deliver patient-centered care as members of an interdisciplinary team; these competencies emphasize. Competency-based education has been proposed as a means to optimize the preparation of health professionals [4]. Competence-based learning is based on the capacity and responsibility of each student and on the development of the student’s autonomy [2]; it requires specific learning methodologies, monitoring, and tutoring as well as competency-based assessment methods [8].
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