Teaching evidence-based practice to physiotherapy students in Italy: a cross sectional study.
Leonardo Piano, Alessandro Chiarotto, Marco Mascarello and 4 others
PMID 37779190WHAT IT FOUND
Only 9 of 42 Italian physiotherapy degree courses named an evidence-based practice module, and 14 reported no EBP content.
This describes curricula, not patient care.
Key findings
01Only 9 undergraduate programmes clearly described EBP content under named headings such as Evidence-Based Practice or Evidence-Based Physiotherapy.
02Fourteen of 42 programmes reported no EBP content in named EBP modules or other teaching courses.
03The median number of university credits dedicated to EBP content was two, and one credit corresponded to 25 teaching hours.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study relied on website course descriptions, so EBP content that was taught but not declared may have been missed. It recorded only whether EBP content was present or absent, not the depth, quality, or method of teaching. It did not measure students' knowledge, skills, attitudes, or clinical behaviour. Only 5 private programmes were included, so public versus private comparisons are uncertain. The authors say they cannot tell whether the findings reflect poor reporting, a lack of EBP teaching, or both.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that Italian physiotherapy graduates lack evidence-based practice skills or provide worse care. This study only checked website course descriptions, and some teaching may not have been declared; it did not measure students' knowledge or patient outcomes.