ABSTRACT

Year : 2022  |  Volume : 6  |  Issue : 2  |  Page : 70-71

Physiotherapy in Health, Physical activity, fitness, Education & Rehabilitation: AB No: 161: Identification of Graduate Attributes and Core Competencies for an Indian Physiotherapist: A Modified Delphi Survey

Gaurang Baxi, Tushar Palekar, Seema Saini, Sudhir Jadhav
Dr. D. Y. Patil College of Physiotherapy, Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune

Correspondence Address:

Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None

DOI: 10.4103/2456-7787.361086

Purpose: Physiotherapy Curriculum across Universities articulate knowledge and skills for a Physiotherapist. Generic skills like professionalism, communication skills, leadership, are not formally taught. This project was undertaken to identify the graduate attributes and competencies required of a physiotherapist in the Indian context, through National consensus. Participants: 174 Clinicians and Academicians with more than 5 years’ experience were contacted for round 1 of Delphi. There was a rich heterogeneity in geographical distribution, educational qualification, professional profile, designation and experience of experts. 20 experts were invited for personal interviews in second round. Methods: This was a modified Delphi survey. SURGE guidelines for reporting surveys were followed. 46 competencies classified under 10 categories were identified from regulatory bodies of USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Through a google form, respondents rated all 46 items on a 10-point scale for their suitability for an Indian Physiotherapist. Response rate was 79%. Analysis: Exploratory Factor Analysis was performed. Extraction Method used was Principal Component Analysis, Rotation Method used was Varimax with Kaiser Normalization. Three rounds of Factor Analysis were done for identifying and removing redundant items. Results: After three rounds, Rotation converged in 7 iterations, the number of items reduced to 36. In the round 2 of Delphi process, experts deliberated on appropriate titles for these seven categories, proposed as the Graduate Attributes for an Indian Physiotherapist. The 36 items grouped under the seven graduate attributes were the proposed Core Competencies. Conclusion and Implications: Regulatory Bodies and Universities can structure Physiotherapy curriculum and teaching learning around these Graduate Attributes and Core Competencies. Learning of these should begin early in students’ learning programmes. This will help ensure more competent physiotherapists are produced who are more fit to practice in the society and ready to accept all challenges, beyond the scope of academic knowledge and skills. Acknowledgement: This project was funded by the Society of Indian Physiotherapists.

Keywords: Physiotherapy Graduate Attributes, Physiotherapy Core Competencies, Modified Delphi Survey