Can online assessments effectively determine clinical competency in physiotherapy?
That’s the question driving PhD candidate Brooke Flew’s research, and her findings suggest the answer could reshape how physiotherapists are trained and accredited.
“The assessment of clinical competency is a cornerstone of health professional education and accreditation, determining who is safe and ready to enter the workforce,” she says.
“Traditionally, these assessments have been conducted in person, but the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the risks of relying solely on that approach.”
Brooke’s pilot study with physiotherapy students found that online assessment was practical and easy to implement, however some assessors queried potential losses in authenticity.
Her most recent study extended this work to internationally trained physiotherapists seeking registration in Australia, with promising results.
“We found that online assessment produced outcomes comparable to in-person formats. This provides the first robust evidence that online assessment of physiotherapy clinical competence can be a feasible and viable option.”
Brooke says the research will lead to explore more flexible, equitable and sustainable models of assessment for the profession.
Learn more about Brooke’s research via her Visualise Your Thesis video
