PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS' EVALUATION OF ONLINE TRAINING ON AN EVIDENCE-BASED HAND EXERCISE PROGRAMME: A MIXED METHODS STUDY

Williamson E1, Hall M2, Srikesavan C1, Lamb S11University of Oxford, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Oxford, United Kingdom, 2University of Nottingham, Division of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, Notthingham, United KingdomBackground: iSARAH is an online programme to train physiotherapists and occupational therapists to deliver the evidence-based Strengthening And stretching for Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Hand (SARAH) programme for people with rheumatoid arthritis. iSARAH includes four learning modules, a resource library, a frequently asked questions section, and downloadable materials used to deliver the programme. Users complete a test which they must pass to download a certificate as evidence of professional development. iSARAH was developed for qualified therapists but it is, potentially, a useful learning resource for therapy students.Purpose: To evaluate of the use of iSARAH as a training resource for therapy studentsMethods: A cohort of third year undergraduate physiotherapy students at the University of Nottingham undertook iSARAH training as part of their rheumatology course. They completed an online questionnaire on completion of the training. Perceived competence was measured by a 7-point scale (Not at all true to Very true). Implementation intention was measured by a 7-point scale (Strongly disagree to Strongly agree). Satisfaction with the training was measured by a 5-point scale (Not at all satisfied to Extremely satisfied). Students also listed potentials barriers to implementing the SARAH programme into clinical practice. On completion of the training, the students participated in a focus group to share their experiences of the training. An interview schedule was used to guide the session and the session was recorded. The interview was transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically.Results: Seven students provided completion feedback at the end of training. All students rated themselves as confident to implement the SARAH programme and intended to use it in their future clinical practice. Six students (86%) were very or extremely satisfied with the training. Four students (57%) did not identify any barriers to implementation and three students (43%) listed 'lack of time' as the key barrier. Six students took part in the focus group interview. The focus group themes were: 1) positive experiences of iSARAH training, 2) perspectives on the training content and, 3) perspectives on applying SARAH in practice. iSARAH contained helpful background information and the exercise videos were easy to follow. The students showed a good understanding of the exercises. Some of the behavioural strategies were new to them. The students felt the strategies would be transferable to other areas of clinical practice. Students would recommend the training to other colleagues because of its clinical usefulness and ease of completion. Delivering the six sessions recommended for the SARAH programme in NHS settings, lack of exercise equipment and ensuring the patient could fit the SARAH exercises into their routine were perceived as barriers to implementation. Tailoring the number of sessions, educating patients on sticking with the exercises, and encouraging them to buy their own exercise equipment were the suggested solutions to minimise barriers.Conclusion(s): iSARAH was perceived as an effective e-learning resource by the physiotherapy students.Implications: There is increasing evidence for the use online resources to promote evidence-based practice. iSARAH is an easily accessible online programme whose use could be extended to train physiotherapy students to deliver the evidence-based SARAH programme.Keywords: Online learning, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hand exercisesFunding acknowledgements: Funded by the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care Oxford. Supported by the Oxford NIHR BRC. Topic: Education: methods of teaching & learning; Rheumatology; Disability & rehabilitationEthics approval required: NoInstitution: University of NottinghamEthics committee: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Research Ethics CommitteeReason not required: The ethics committee concluded this was an evaluation of a training course and not a research study.All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.