Development of education program for physical therapy assistant in Quang Tri province of Vietnam.
Jin Won Noh, Sang Hyun Cho, Min Hee Kim and 1 others
PMID 28265176WHAT IT FOUND
A curriculum for physical therapy assistants in Vietnam was developed based on a survey of 10 local educators.
The program totals 420 hours, prioritising basic kinesiology and physical therapy for internal medicine and surgery.
Key findings
01The developed curriculum totals 420 hours, comprising 120 hours of theory and 300 hours of practice.
02Educators with prior experience in physical therapy education had higher expectations for the new program than those without experience.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The survey included only 10 participants, which is too small to generalise to a wider population of educators or clinicians. The study only developed a curriculum; it did not implement or test the program, so it is unknown if the education improves assistant competence or patient care. The context is specific to Quang Tri province, Vietnam, with unique challenges like Agent Orange exposure that may not apply elsewhere.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), which helped establish the adaptive curriculum.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this curriculum has been proven to improve patient care or therapist skills. The study only developed the program based on educator preferences; it did not test the program's effectiveness or report any clinical outcomes.