Assessment of history-taking skills among undergraduate physical therapy students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33897/fujrs.v6i2.560Keywords:
Clinical competence, education, medical history taking, physical therapists, studentsAbstract
Background: History taking is a key component of physical therapy practice, which guides patient assessment, clinical reasoning and treatment planning. Students' competency in this skill may vary due to differences in clinical exposure and training. Thus, measuring the ability of history taking is necessary to reduce educational deficits and enhance clinical training programs.
Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the history-taking skills among undergraduate physical therapy students.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study (ATMC/IERC/13th/1-2023/19) was carried out over six months following approval of the synopsis among 100 undergraduate DPT students (3rd, 4th and final year students) from two rehabilitation institutes of Karachi with convenience non-probability sampling. History taking skills were evaluated using an OSCE, with simulated patients, and an OSCE grading rubric based on Alrasheedi Ahmed A et al. Informed consent was obtained for those students. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23 and descriptive statistics were presented.
Results: There were 100 undergraduate DPT students, 18% third year, 36% fourth year, and 46% final year. The scores for communication skills, history content, and psychosocial history were 41.40 ± 12.99, 53.70 ± 16.92, and 6.00 ± 7.32, respectively. The overall communication skill and history taking skills were found to be moderately good while the psychosocial history assessment was comparatively lesser reflecting the need for more improvement in the clinical under-graduate training.
Conclusion: This study highlights critical areas for improvement in physical therapy education, particularly in communication skills and psychosocial history assessment, emphasizing the need for enhancing these skills to provide better patient care.
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