Enhancing practical skills in spinal cord injury physiotherapy education using a case-based mobile virtual patient: A...

Area of Science:

• Physiotherapy Education
• Digital Health
• Neurological Rehabilitation

Background:

• Developing practical skills for complex conditions like spinal cord injury (SCI) is crucial in physiotherapy education.
• Limited opportunities for real-patient practice necessitate innovative learning tools.
• Mobile virtual patient applications offer a potential solution for repeated skill practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess if a case-based mobile virtual patient application improves practical examination performance in SCI education.
• To explore student perceptions of the application's usability and educational value.

Main Methods:

• An explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was conducted.
• Eighty-three undergraduate physiotherapy students were randomized into an experimental group (using the app) and a control group.
• Practical skills were assessed via a standardized examination; qualitative data explored student feedback.

Main Results:

• The experimental group demonstrated significantly higher practical examination scores compared to the control group (p < 0.001), indicating a large effect size.
• Students perceived benefits in theory-practice integration, learning flexibility, and clinical decision-making.
• Reported challenges included small-screen usability and content density.

Conclusions:

• Integrating a case-based mobile virtual patient application with traditional teaching enhances practical performance in SCI physiotherapy education.
• The application supports skill acquisition, clinical reasoning, and student engagement.
• Mobile virtual patients show promise for physiotherapy curricula, despite some usability considerations.