Patients’ perceptions and experience of hospital-based, student-led physiotherapy treatment interventions: A survey

BACKGROUND: Clinical education (CE) is an integral part of physiotherapy degree programmes. CE presents a unique learning opportunity for students to implement classroom-based teaching directly with patients and clients. Despite patients being central to CE, limited research exists around patients’ opinions of CE and the impact of student involvement in patient care. To our knowledge, there has been no study exploring patient perceptions of being treated by student physiotherapists in Ireland. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of patients who have been assessed and treated by pre-registration MSc Physiotherapy students. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey study, involving both quantitative and qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: A total of 42 inpatient participants male n = 24 (57%) female n = 18 (43%) with 30 participants (71%) aged ≥70 were included in this study. All participants reported satisfaction with the treatment received by a student physiotherapist and reported they would avail of further treatments in the future. The benefits identified from interaction of participants with physiotherapy students included patient education and interpersonal skills. No disadvantages of being assessed and treated by a student physiotherapist were identified. Considerations for improvements identified included timing of physiotherapy sessions, frequency of sessions and the consideration of use of technology with patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified that all participants were very satisfied from receiving treatment interventions led by a student physiotherapist. Increased patient education and interpersonal skills were highlighted as key advantages from participants being assessed and treated by a student physiotherapist in clinical practice.