Educational programmes to develop clinical reasoning skills

The role of physiotherapists has changed considerably over the last few decades. Autonomous professionals have replaced clinicians who applied technical skills under the direction of medical practitioners. The physiotherapy profession needs more than ever to produce clinicians who demonstrate competence in clinical reasoning and decision making. The challenge presented to all physiotherapists involved in teaching is to contribute to the development of clinicians who can use the complex skill of clinical reasoning in association with a sound clinical knowledge base. This paper discusses issues and strategies associated with achieving this goal.