Improving physical therapy students' clinical problem-solving skills: an analytical questioning model.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a model for teaching problem-solving skills to first-year physical therapy students using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (CTA) and participant feedback. We used a pretest-posttest control group design. Subjects were 31 first-year physical therapy students divided into a Control Group (n = 15) and an Experimental Group (n = 16). Students in the Experimental Group used the problem-solving model during a four-week clerkship. No difference was found between the Experimental and Control Groups' performance on the CTA. Subjectively, students in the Experimental Group and their Clinical Instructors found the model to be an effective tool that aided students' understanding of patient assessment and treatment program planning. The need for an objective assessment tool of problem-solving models in physical therapy is discussed.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes