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

Marie-Christine Hallé; André Bussières; Liliane Asseraf-Pasin; Caroline Storr; Susanne Mak; Kelly Root; Heather Owens; Fatima Amari; Aliki Thomas

doi:10.1080/09638288.2023.2239138

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

Disabil Rehabil. 2023 Jul 25:1-10. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2023.2239138. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Marie-Christine Hallé^{1

2

3}, André Bussières^{1

2

4}, Liliane Asseraf-Pasin^{1

5}, Caroline Storr¹, Susanne Mak^{1

2

5}, Kelly Root⁶, Heather Owens⁷, Fatima Amari¹, Aliki Thomas^{1

2

5}

Affiliations

¹ School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
² Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal (CRIR), Montreal, Canada.
³ Département d'orthophonie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Canada.
⁴ Département chiropratique, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Canada.
⁵ Institute of Health Sciences Education, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
⁶ School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
⁷ Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

PMID: 37489946
DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2023.2239138

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.

Keywords: Evidence-based practice; consensus methods; education; nominal group technique; occupational therapy; physical therapy; rehabilitation; speech-language pathology.

Plain language summary

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.