Remote, asynchronous training and feedback enables development of neurodynamic skills in physiotherapy students.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face teaching and learning of physiotherapy practical skills was limited. Asynchronous, remote training has been effective in development of clinical skills in some health professions. This study aimed to determine the effect of remote, asynchronous training and feedback on development of neurodynamic skills in physiotherapy students. METHODS: Longitudinal repeated measurements study, across four training sessions. Participants engaged in a remote training program for development of upper limb neurodynamic techniques. In this sequential training, participants viewed the online tutorial, practiced independently, and uploaded a video of their performance for formative assessment and feedback from a trained instructor via a checklist and rubric. RESULTS: Intra-subject analyses of 60 third-year physiotherapy students showed that the target standard of performance, with no further significant change in scores, was attained following session 2 for the checklist and session 3 for the rubric. This shows that two sessions are required to learn the procedures, and three sessions yield further improvements in performance quality. CONCLUSION: The remote, asynchronous training and feedback model proved to be an effective strategy for students' development of neurodynamic testing skills and forms a viable alternative to in-person training. This study contributes to the future of acquiring physiotherapy clinical competencies when distance or hybrid practice is required.

New-graduate physiotherapists' training needs and readiness for telehealth.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated a rapid transition to telehealth for the delivery of many Australian physiotherapy services. Little is known about new-graduate training needs in this method of service delivery.Aim.To explore the readiness and specific training needs of new-graduate physiotherapists for telehealth service delivery in Australia. METHODS: Qualitative individual telephone interviews of new-graduate physiotherapists (n = 16) and two videoconference focus groups of supervisors of new-graduate physiotherapists (n = 7) were undertaken. Thematic analysis was used. RESULTS: Two global themes each with three organizing themes were generated. The two global themes were "support needs for novice practitioners" and "how to best prepare for telehealth." DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: New-graduate physiotherapists and supervisors perceive that pre-professional exposure to, and practical skills training for, telehealth is essential. Elements such as undertaking physical assessments via telehealth, verbal communication, and effective clinical reasoning in telehealth assessment and treatment were highlighted as areas of need. Both stakeholder groups perceived that the rapid transition to telehealth challenged the self-efficacy of new-graduates as they did not have clinical experience to rely on. The preparation, and ongoing support of new-graduates to adopt telehealth in the workplace is considered critical given the shift in Australian healthcare to online platforms.