Self-perceived competence and readiness of undergraduate physiotherapy students in treating patients with spinal cord injury

Background: Physiotherapy management is a necessary core aspect in spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation, and undergraduate preparation for adequate application is imperative. Objectives: To determine physiotherapy students’ self-perceived competence and readiness in treating patients with SCI. Method: This study included 48 fourth-year students enrolled in a Bachelor of Physiotherapy degree in South Africa. Students completed a QualtricsXM online survey consisting of 32 questions self-compiled from the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) tool and the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire to determine self-perceived competence and readiness to treat SCI patients. Descriptive (frequencies and means) and inferential data (independent t-test and Fisher’s exact test) were analysed using SPSS v26 at a 0.05 level of significance. Results: Students reported 70% self-perceived competence and 73% readiness to treat SCI patients. Theoretical knowledge was perceived as adequate (p 0.01), and students who completed their SCI clinical block perceived themselves as more competent in treating patients with SCI (p 0.01). They were able to clinically reason and adequately differentiate between diagnoses (p 0.01) and safely perform treatment techniques (p 0.01). Conclusion: Students who completed their SCI clinical block had higher self-perception of competence to differentially diagnose SCI and to treat SCI patients safely, compared to those who had not. Clinical implications: Hands-on experience of SCI patient care is encouraged before SCI clinical block rotation. In cases where there are limited clinical placements, universities are recommended to augment written case scenarios with finite supervised patient exposure.