Difference in Physiotherapy Students' Training and Objective Structured Clinical Exam Performance Before and During...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physiotherapy Training
• Clinical Assessment

Background:

• Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are crucial for evaluating clinical performance in health professions.
• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted educational programs and clinical training.
• The specific impact of the pandemic on student OSCE performance requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the difference in physiotherapy students' OSCE performance before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To compare OSCE scores and safety occurrences between cohorts impacted and not impacted by COVID-19.
• To understand the pandemic's effect on clinical skill assessment in physiotherapy education.

Main Methods:

• A non-concurrent cohort study design was employed.
• Two cohorts of Year 1 physiotherapy students (MSc (PT)) were compared: Cohort A (pre-pandemic) and Cohort B (during pandemic).
• In-person OSCE scores and safety occurrences were analyzed, comparing means and 95% confidence intervals.

Main Results:

• Overall mean OSCE scores were 77.9 for Cohort A and 81.9 for Cohort B, indicating no adverse effect on total scores.
• Cohort B students, impacted by COVID-19, were approximately four times more likely to exhibit safety occurrences.
• A statistically significant difference in OSCE scores (mean difference = 4.0, 95% CI: 2.1, 5.8) was observed.

Conclusions:

• The COVID-19 pandemic did not adversely affect the overall clinical performance scores of physiotherapy students in the OSCE.
• A notable increase in safety occurrences was observed in students during the pandemic period.
• These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to address safety in clinical training under pandemic conditions.