Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Logbook for Clinical Education of Undergraduate Physiotherapy Students

Maryam A. Saba; Nastaran Ghotbi; Movahed Haghjoo; Amirhossein Shamsi; Rasool Bagheri

doi:10.18502/jmr.v18i2.15976

Maryam A. Saba Department of Physical Therapy, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Nastaran Ghotbi Department of Physical Therapy, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Movahed Haghjoo Department of Physical Therapy, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Amirhossein Shamsi Department of Physical Therapy, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Rasool Bagheri Department of Physical Therapy, School of Rehabilitation, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jmr.v18i2.15976

Keywords: Clinical competence; Logbook; Physiotherapy; Assessment; Education

Abstract

Introduction: Clinical performance without documentation, assessment, and feedback may lead to an inefficient internship in the field. Logbooks are recommended to assess physiotherapy (PT) students’ clinical practice in the curriculum, therefore, this study aims to design, implement, and evaluate a logbook for undergraduate PT students.

Materials and Methods: The present study includes three phases. In the first phase, a logbook was designed based on the existing evidence, undergraduate PT program curriculum, and opinions of clinical instructors of the relevant internships. After that, it was adjusted based on the topics of clinical rotations. In the implementation phase, students completed these logbooks during neurology, musculoskeletal inpatient, outpatient, and cardiovascular inpatient rotations. In the third phase, a 29-item questionnaire was used to assess the students’ and instructors’ perspectives on the logbook.

Results: The designed logbook for undergraduate PT students consisted of two major sections, assessment of students’ clinical competencies and documentation of clinical experience. Sixtynine students and 12 clinical instructors completed the questionnaires. Approximately 49% of the students and 87% of the instructors felt that the logbook’s quality was satisfactory. Nearly 53% of the students and over 90% of the instructors consider the use of the logbook and its content essential.

Conclusion: A logbook was developed as a workplace-based assessment (WBA) method. It was designed to cover different internships, including PT in musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and neurological conditions in outpatient or inpatient settings. Both students and instructors agreed on using the designed logbook to assess the student’s clinical performance.