Assessment of Core Competencies of Physical Therapists Among Students and Professionals in Italy: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES: Defining professional competence and identifying the best way to evaluate these skills has become a topic of study for physiotherapists. The aims of this study were: (1) to reveal and compare the level of competence declared by physiotherapy students with that of professional physiotherapists in the investigated competencies, and (2) to show any associations between the level of competences of physiotherapists and their age or education level. DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional survey. METHODS: A sample of 273 physiotherapists and 84 physiotherapy students executed self-assessment of their competences using a Likert scale. RESULTS: Students declared a lower level of self-assessed competence (mean 2.76) than physiotherapists (mean 3.20), but some items regarding the ICF model and evidence-based practice (EBP) had higher scores for students than professionals. In the field of EBP, both groups showed insufficient scores for all items. For the investigated skills, we observed an association between the level of declared competence and age and education level (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Survey results could be used by academies, professional associations, and employers to identify specific learning goals of students and physiotherapists.

Meaningful improvement in walking performance after Botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT-A) in chronic spastic patients.

BACKGROUND: Botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT-A) may reduce lower limb spasticity but its role in improving walking ability remains to be established. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of simultaneous BoNT-A injections into several targeted spastic muscles of different joints on gait speed and on functional gains in gait performance in chronic stroke and MS patients. METHODS: Twenty patients affected by stroke or multiple sclerosis were tested before, one and three months after BoNT-A administration. Gait was evaluated by the 10 Meter Walk Test; patients were stratified into functional ambulation classes accordingly. Spasticity was assessed using the modified Ashworth Scale. RESULTS: At final assessment, spasticity was reduced in hip adductors and ankle plantar-flexors, gait speed improved and, 1/3rd of patients transitioned to a higher ambulation class. The pre-post difference in Level of Spasticity of the hips was a predictor for an increase in gait speed. CONCLUSIONS: A meaningful improvement in walking performance can be obtained in chronic spastic patients after BoNT-A injection into several muscles, specifically the hip adductors.