Assessment approaches and methods in physiotherapy education: A scoping review protocol

Area of Science:

• Physiotherapy Education
• Assessment in Health Professions Education

Background:

• Effective assessment in physiotherapy education is crucial for ensuring graduates meet professional standards and deliver high-quality patient care.
• Assessment approaches and methods must align with curriculum content and learning outcomes to cover essential practice competencies.
• A comprehensive analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of current assessment strategies in physiotherapy education is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and characterize the diverse assessment approaches and methods employed within physiotherapy academic curricula.
• To conduct a strategic analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with these assessment approaches and methods.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review following Joanna Briggs Institute guidance and PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
• Systematic searches across multiple databases (Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, etc.) and grey literature up to July 2025.
• Narrative synthesis and directed content analysis to characterize assessments and identify SWOT factors, mapping methods to Miller's pyramid.

Main Results:

• This section is to be populated upon completion of the review.
• The review will characterize various assessment approaches and methods used in physiotherapy education.
• A SWOT analysis will be performed on identified assessment strategies.

Conclusions:

• This review will offer a comprehensive synthesis and strategic analysis of assessment practices in physiotherapy education.
• Findings are expected to guide evidence-based assessment strategies to enhance student learning and preparedness for practice.
• The study aims to support optimal student experiences and readiness for contemporary physiotherapy practice.