Stakeholders’ priorities in the development of evidence-based practice competencies in rehabilitation students: a nominal group technique study

Abstract

Purpose

Clinically integrated teaching (CIT) is an effective approach for promoting evidence-based practice (EBP) competencies among medical students. Challenges towards the implementation of CIT in rehabilitation curricula include educators’ different conceptualizations of EBP, the perceived complexity of EBP and the boundaries between the academic and the clinical setting. This study aimed to identify tailored strategies to implement in rehabilitation programs and their affiliated clinical sites to support the development of EBP competencies among students in occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT) and speech-language pathology (S-LP).

Materials and methods

Nominal group technique (NGT) with stakeholders from three rehabilitation programs in Canada, offering the professional master’s in OT and PT (n = 35 participants) and in S-LP (n = 8).

Results

The top two strategies identified in the OT/PT NGT were: 1) Developing a flexible definition of EBP that recognizes its complexity; 2) Providing clinicians with more access to the teaching content by pairing faculty with preceptors. The top two strategies identified in the S-LP NGT were: 1) Providing students with opportunities for decision-making with experienced clinicians; 2) Increasing interactions between faculty and preceptors using formal group meetings.

Conclusion

Findings laid foundations for future integrated knowledge translation projects to collaboratively implement, and test identified strategies.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• Rehabilitation professions including occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology acknowledge the importance of evidence-based practice (EBP).

• Current challenges in the teaching of EBP among rehabilitation students include educators’ different conceptualizations of EBP, the perceived complexity of EBP, and the boundaries between the academic and the clinical setting.

• This study shows that increasing interactions between faculty and preceptors, for instance through an online community of practice, constitutes a stakeholder-endorsed priority to advance EBP education in rehabilitation.

Keywords:

• Evidence-based practice
• nominal group technique
• consensus methods
• rehabilitation
• education
• occupational therapy
• physical therapy
• speech-language pathology

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the participants who took part in this study, and the OT, PT and S-LP programs for their contribution in planning the interactive workshops during which this study was conducted.

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Edith Strauss Rehabilitation Knowledge Translation Grant. The first author was also supported by a Richard and Edith Strauss Postdoctoral Fellowship in Medicine and a Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation (CRIR) Postdoctoral Fellowship Bursary.