A blended-learning programme regarding professional ethics in physiotherapy students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physiotherapy Training
• Professional Ethics Pedagogy

Background:

• Assessing student engagement with innovative teaching methods is crucial in university professional ethics education.
• Understanding student motivation is key to evaluating new pedagogical approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a blended-learning model on physiotherapy students' attitudes, knowledge, and opinions regarding professional ethics.
• To determine the effectiveness of integrating clinical practices with ethics education.

Main Methods:

• A simple-blind clinical trial involving 129 physiotherapy students over 8 months.
• Experimental group: 8-month blended-learning program with online modules and face-to-face discussions.
• Control group: Public exposition of a clinical case on professional ethics.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in attitudes and knowledge towards professional ethics in the experimental group.
• No significant changes observed in the control group.
• Students reported positive opinions on content relevance, clinical practice integration, and topic interest.

Conclusions:

• The proposed blended-learning program effectively enhances physiotherapy students' learning of professional ethics.
• Integrating clinical practice into ethics education through blended learning is beneficial.
• Active learning techniques and online resources improve student outcomes in professional ethics.