Research competencies for undergraduate rehabilitation students: A scoping review

Abstract

Research training has been identified as the foundation for all programmes in the health science professions. [1] Undergraduate exposure is associated with improved scholarship [2] -a key competency that is promoted by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). [3] Familiarity with doing or using research fosters analytical thinking and develops skills for informed decision-making in patient service delivery and care. [4] Although not all rehabilitation students may become primary researchers, all practitioners will need to evaluate, interpret and use research for evidence-based practice (EBP). [5] Previous studies investigating research competencies for undergraduates predominantly focused on the medical and nursing professions. [6][7][8] However, certain competencies may be more relevant to rehabilitation. [9,10] Rehabilitation students should be equipped with knowledge, skills, attitudes and tasks that are relevant to the current clinical context and professional research needs. For example, knowledge of pretrial studies or alternative designs to traditional randomised controlled trials (e.g. practice-based evidence trials [10] and health services research [11] ) may be particularly important for rehabilitation research. [10] Although not synonymous, EBP and research are closely related concepts. [4] Educators in rehabilitation are increasingly restructuring research curricula towards EBP. [12,13] Research training may be used to cover EBP, and vice versa. [1,14] The Sicily Statement on EBP provides a five-step framework to use when developing curricula: (i) research question formulation; (ii) searching for best evidence; (iii) critically evaluating the evidence; (iv) applying the evidence to clinical practice; and (v) monitoring performance. [15] However, an investigation of existing physiotherapy coursework and EBP coverage [14] indicated that some research competencies are poorly defined in the learning outcomes, while others are not addressed at all. A standardised set of minimum core research competencies needs to be defined more explicitly to benchmark standards for research methods (RM) training in the undergraduate rehabilitation curriculum.Recently, 86 EBP competencies were identified in a systematic review involving health professionals, regardless of the discipline or level of training. [16] The findings were generalised to all health professions, leaving it to educators to 'advance competencies depending on the needs and desires of learners' . [16] No similar reviews exist that focus on research competencies or rehabilitation. This review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing literature regarding core research competencies that may be required by rehabilitation undergraduates. As a secondary outcome, a list of recommendations regarding the implementation of such competencies was compiled. MethodsA scoping review was conducted according to the methodological framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley [17] and refined by Levac et al. [18] The six-step process includes...

Research-based education in undergraduate occupational therapy and physiotherapy education programmes: a scoping review

“…Further, grey literature was identified in 18 databases ( n = 210). One article [ 34 ] was recommended by another researcher, and we included this article in the review after we checked it against the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The entire process of study identification and inclusion/exclusion is presented in Fig.…”

“… Burger 2014 [ 43 ] South Africa Integrating Evidence-Based Principles Into the Undergraduate Physiotherapy Research Methodology Curriculum: Reflections on a New Approach Qualitative International experts Classroom Conducting a systematic review or meta-analysis to teach undergraduate students research methodology provides the opportunity for physiotherapy students to acquire basic research skills and become clinicians who provide EBP services. Charumbira 2021 [ 34 ] South Africa Research Competencies for Undergraduate Rehabilitation Students: A Scoping Review Scoping review Physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy students Classroom A set of 45 research competencies were identified. It remains unclear which of these should be prioritized in the rehabilitation curriculum.…”

“…Six of the included studies focused on student engagement in research [ 34 , 43 , 46 , 47 , 51 , 55 ], whereas only one study had a specific focus on research-based education [ 51 ]. In this study [ 51 ], emphasizing research in occupational therapy education was perceived as important to ensure students’ future best practice.…”

“…Compared to studies focusing on teaching strategies in EBP, fewer studies have investigated strategies to implement and support research-based education across healthcare programmes. However, one scoping review investigated research competencies among rehabilitation students, including physiotherapy and occupational therapy students [ 34 ]. Several core research competencies were identified in this study [ 34 ], and most fell within two research domains: inquiry/literature review and methodology/processes.…”

“…However, one scoping review investigated research competencies among rehabilitation students, including physiotherapy and occupational therapy students [ 34 ]. Several core research competencies were identified in this study [ 34 ], and most fell within two research domains: inquiry/literature review and methodology/processes. Research competencies within the inquiry/literature review included recognizing gaps in the literature, searching for and locating relevant literature and critical evidence-appraisal skills.…”