Related Experiment Videos
Impact of entry-level curriculum reform on evidence-based practice competencies in physical therapists: a
Vincent Fontanier1, Etienne Delforge1,2, Jules Opplert1
1Medinetic Learning, Research Department, 75016 Paris, France.
Importance:
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a core competency in physical therapy. In 2015, France implemented a major reform of physical therapist education, extending training from 3 to 5 years and embedding EBP throughout the curriculum. However, whether this reform translates into improved EBP competencies remains unclear.
Objective:
This study aimed to determine the impact of evidence-informed curriculum changes on EBP competencies among physical therapist graduates.
Design:
This study was a national cross-sectional survey.
Setting:
This study was conducted in France.
Participants:
The participants were French physical therapists trained under the pre-reform (1989 to 2015) and post-reform (2015 to present) curricula.
Intervention(S) Or Exposure(S):
The exposures included the 2015 reform of entry-level physical therapist education and participation in continuing education related to EBP.
Main Outcome(S) And Measure(S):
EBP competencies were assessed using the Evidence-Based Practice Profile questionnaire (EBP2) and the Knowledge of Research Evidence Competencies test (K-REC). The EBP2 evaluates self-reported attitudes, confidence, EBP use, and understanding of research terminology. The K-REC measures applied knowledge of research evidence using a clinical scenario.
Results:
A total of 168 physical therapists participated. Compared with pre-reform graduates, post-reform graduates had higher scores across most EBP domains, with the largest improvement in the "Knowledge" domain (effect size = 0.50). Moderate gains were observed in "Terminology" and smaller but significant improvements in "Confidence" and attitudes toward EBP. Despite these gains, only 35.1% of respondents achieved a passing score on the knowledge test, and self-reported EBP practice remained limited. Continuing education and curriculum reform exerted independent and additive effects.
Conclusions And Relevance:
The curriculum reform was associated with meaningful improvements in EBP competencies, particularly knowledge. However, important gaps remain between knowledge acquisition and routine clinical application, indicating that entry-level reform alone is insufficient to ensure sustained EBP implementation. These findings suggest that lifelong learning and supportive clinical environments remain necessary to achieve durable integration of evidence-based physical therapy.
