Transferring New Physical Therapy Skills from the Weekend to Monday Morning in the Clinic: A Pilot Study

Physical therapists (PTs) routinely participate in continuing education (CE) courses with the goal of increasing their knowledge and skills in order to improve quality of care and ultimately patient outcomes. Little has been done to investigate the effect that CE courses have on PT practice. This study assessed whether a CE course series that included review sessions, between-course assignments, and a practical and written examination changed clinician 1) attitudes (i.e., comfort and confidence in working with patients with spinal dysfunctions) and 2) behaviors (i.e., utilization of outcome measures). PTs (n=24) employed by the same hospital system and who enrolled in a CE course series were administered anonymous and voluntary pre-course (n=14) and post-course surveys (n=14). Data on the PTs' use of standardized outcomes for 6 months prior to and after the course series were collected. The number of PTs tracking outcomes went from 6 to 19 of the 24 PTs in the course series, and 14 of the 24 PTs had an overall increase in their comfort and confidence. This pilot study demonstrated a change in clinician behaviors and self-perceived attitudes after a course series that included review sessions, assignments, and examinations.