The assessment of procedural skills in physiotherapy education: a measurement study using the Rasch model.

The study used 69 pre-registration physiotherapy students from one school, so the results may not apply to other programmes, countries or educational levels. The sample was small, and the authors said estimates may change with a larger sample. Only two procedures were tested: stroke transfer and vestibular rehabilitation, so other physiotherapy procedures may behave differently. Students performed on a simulated patient, not a real patient, and had no prior clinical experience with the procedures. Four items were removed after poor fit, and three remaining items fit the model so closely that they may duplicate other items, but were kept. Safety and communication items did not cluster perfectly with the other items. The study tested structural validity only; other measurement properties such as construct validity were not shown.

Do not read this as evidence that the assessed procedures are effective or safe for patients. It tested whether an assessment score behaves as one skill measure in 69 physiotherapy students using simulated patients.