Physiotherapist-patient communication in entry-level physiotherapy education: A national survey in Nigeria.
Ukachukwu Okoroafor Abaraogu, Kaosisochukwu Rachael Aguji, Deborah Onyinyechukwu Duru and 3 others
PMID 31156319WHAT IT FOUND
Nigerian physiotherapy programs assess student communication mostly in later years using exams and written reports.
Only two of six programs required passing these assessments to progress, and no program used workplace-based observation.
Key findings
01Four of the six surveyed programs had no compulsory communication assessment for students.
02Objective structured clinical examinations with real patients and written communication reports were the most frequently used assessment methods.
03No program used workplace-based methods to assess clinical communication.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
Data relied on self-reports from heads of departments rather than all assessors. The study did not evaluate the actual competence of graduates, only the assessment methods. It is unclear if the reported assessments effectively target specific communication skills. The sample size was very small (six programs), limiting generalizability.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was self-funded.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the presence of assessments as evidence that graduates are competent communicators. The study only surveyed the methods used, not the effectiveness of those methods or the skill levels of the students.