Clinical Reasoning Process of Physiotherapists When Observing Hemiplegic Gait

Overview

The goal of this study is to find out what clinical reasoning process physiotherapists undergo when observing hemiplegic patients gait.

Study Type

  • Study Type: Observational
  • Study Design
    • Time Perspective: Other
  • Study Primary Completion Date: June 2015

Detailed Description

Physiotherapists don't usually use any assessments to evaluate gait but observe it without an instrument. The questions in this study are: – what abnormalities can physiotherapists detect when observing a patient walking? – what do they consider the main problem that has a negative effect on the patient's walking? – what hypothesis do they generate? – how is the inter-rater reliability for the "main problem" and the hypothesis?

Interventions

  • Other: No intervention
    • No intervention

Arms, Groups and Cohorts

  • PT’s working in stroke in NW-Switzerland
    • 54 Physiotherapists (PT’s) working in north-west Switzerland (at Bruderholzspital, RehaB Basel, Klinik Tschugg, Reha Rheinfelden, RehaClinic Zurzach) are asked to analyse videos of 6 hemiplegic patients when walking. They are asked to write down their main observations, the major problem and hypotheses about how this major problem is produced. There is no intervention.

Clinical Trial Outcome Measures

Primary Measures

  • Number of Gait Abnormalities Observed
    • Time Frame: up to 2 months
    • The questionnaire will be the basis of this study as it will be the basis for open coding. It is handed out to 54 observers (=physiotherapists) and will be filled in 6 times (for 6 patient videos). The questionnaire consists of 3 main questions: what gait abnormalities do you see? What do you consider the main problem (1 sentence) what is your hypothesis (max. 3) The question one delivers different items (each new observation is a new item) that were determined patient by patient and rater by rater by three independent researchers. They were then listed and categorised by consensus. Finally, the frequency of each item was analysed globally and for each patient.
  • Number of Main Problems Observed
    • Time Frame: up to 2 months
    • This outcome is a result of the second part of the Questionnaire: 1) What Gait Abnormalities do You See? 2) What do You Consider the Main Problem (1 Sentence) 3) What is Your Hypothesis (Max. 3) By consensus the three independent researchers identified the main statements from the sentences written. Items were afterwards categorised. Finally the frequency of each item was analysed globally and for each patient.
  • Number of Hypotheses Observed
    • Time Frame: up to 2 months
    • This outcome is a result of the third part of the questionnaire: 1) What Gait Abnormalities do You See? 2) What do You Consider the Main Problem (1 Sentence) 3) What is Your Hypothesis (Max. 3) By consensus the three independent researchers identified and categorised all the listed hypotheses from question number three of the questionnaire. After that the use frequency of each item was analysed globally and for each patient.

Participating in This Clinical Trial

Inclusion Criteria

  • chartered physiotherapists – physiotherapists in training – working with stroke patients Exclusion criteria:

  • other languages than German

Gender Eligibility: All

Minimum Age: N/A

Maximum Age: N/A

Are Healthy Volunteers Accepted: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Investigator Details

  • Lead Sponsor
    • Technical University of Bern
  • Provider of Information About this Clinical Study
    • Principal Investigator: Clare Maguire, MPTSc (cand) PhD – Technical University of Bern

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