Expectations for inclusion of paediatric curriculum in entry-level physiotherapy programs: a survey of registered Australian and New Zealand physiotherapists working with children.

What is involved in this research project?

As a part of this study, we will invite you to complete an online consent process and survey through Survey Monkey.

Tool

What you can expect

Survey

The online survey will cover the following seven themes: i) Demographic of paediatric physiotherapists’ ii) Typical development iii) Atypical development (including paediatric diagnosis) iv) Paediatric examination/assessment v) Paediatric intervention vi) Laws and regulations relevant to working with children vii) Clinical education The survey will encompass a number of closed and open-ended questions regarding the above themes to further explore what components of paediatric physiotherapy should be included as an essential part of entry-level physiotherapy programs and to recognise any barriers or facilitators to the inclusion and delivery of paediatric curriculum including clinical education experiences. It will take you approximately 30 minutes to complete this online survey, which can be saved and resumed at a later time. You will only need to complete it once.

Who can participate in this research project?

We are seeking physiotherapists who work with children in Australia and New Zealand. Participation in this study is completely voluntary and you may withdraw at any time without risking any negative consequences.

What are the potential risks and benefits of this research project?

There are minimal perceived risks associated with you participating in this study. All data will be non-identifiable limiting the possibility that the research team or any other persons will be able to identify participants based on their responses. If any data is thought to unintentionally identify a single participant, the research team will remove this data from any publication. Participants may feel concern over not being able to offer clinical placements to students to the extent to which they feel is necessary. There may be inconvenience associated with taking the survey due to the time it takes to complete. Should participation in the research cause any distress or concern regarding taking on students in a clinical education setting please discuss with your head of department or with the local university clinical education managers.

There are a number of potential benefits for physiotherapists participating in this study. The analysed data will be made available to all participants via research publication. The planned publication will compare the Essential Competencies in Entry-level Paediatric Physical Therapy Education (Rapport et al., 2014) with the participant responses relating to perceived importance of paediatric curriculum in entry-level programs. The information provided within this study may be utilised by the higher education sector to further develop entry-level physiotherapy curriculum to ensure that graduates of Australian and New Zealand physiotherapy programs are adequately skilled to provide safe and effective practice to children and their families.

 What is my responsibility as a participant in this research project?

To actively participate in the survey.

How will my data results be used?

All data collected in this study will be checked to ensure it is non-identifiable and the raw data will not made accessible to any person outside of the research team. Data will be stored in a secured location at Bond University for a period of five years in accordance with the guidelines set out by the Bond University Human Research Ethics Committee. The consent process and survey will be completed through Survey Monkey and will only be accessible by the research team who will have a username and password to gain access to the information. Direct quotes from open-ended questions will be qualitatively analysed and may be published in complete form. If any responses to open-ended questions are deemed to expose the identity of any individual, they will not be published in any form. A non-identifiable data set related to the published research manuscripts will be made publicly available on the journal website, where the findings from this study will be published. Whilst it is unlikely that any one participant’s response will directly influence the curriculum, the collective data from all participants’ responses will be used to inform future paediatric curriculum guidelines.

What is the significance of this research project?

This research could have significant implications for the development of entry-level physiotherapy programs. Through this research we aim to illustrate whether the expectations of Australian and New Zealand paediatric physiotherapists for curriculum in entry-level physiotherapy programs is consistent with the 'Essential Competencies in Entry-level Paediatric Physical Therapy Education published in the US by Rapport et al (2014). The results obtained from this study are intended to form a basis for future development of paediatric physiotherapy curriculum/clinical education preparation in entry-level programs. 

If you have any enquires regarding this research project or experience distress from participation in this research, please contact any of the researchers whose details are listed below.

We thank you for taking the time to assist us with this research.

Yours sincerely,

Assistant Professor Dr Nikki Milne
PhD, MPhty, BExSc, BEd, MEd (ECE), Grad Cert Clinical Ed
Tel: +61 7 5595 4155
Email: nmilne@bond.edu.au

Jessica Farley
PhD Candidate, Dphty, Bsc At Tr
Tel: +614 4735 2684
Email: jfarley@bond.edu.au

Doctor of Physiotherapy student Anita Baumann
Email: anita.baumann@student.bond.edu.au

Doctor of Physiotherapy student Mari Springberry
Email: mari.springberry@student.bond.edu.au

Should you have any complaints concerning the manner in which this research is being conducted, please make contact with:
Bond University Human Research Ethics Committee,
Bond University Office of Research Services,
Bond University, Gold Coast, 4229
Tel: +61 7 5595 4194 Fax: +61 7 5595 1120
Email: buhrec@bond.edu.au