Developing consensus on competency-based educational standards in orthopaedic manual physical therapy fellowship training: findings from a modified Delphi: part 3: communication and education

OBJECTIVE: To achieve international consensus on communication and education competencies and associated graduation milestones for Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy (OMPT) fellowship training. METHODS: A modified three-round Delphi process was conducted. This study was part of a larger project aimed at reaching consensus on competencies and graduation milestones across seven domains of expertise. A panel of content experts developed and approved proposed competencies in Round I. Rounds II and III involved stakeholders, identified as members of IFOMPT member organizations, who selected domains to rank and voted using a four-point Likert scale. Consensus was established beforehand at 80% agreement. RESULTS: Experts identified four competencies and 18 milestones for communication, and four competencies with nine milestones for education. In subsequent rounds, 124 participants from 12 countries evaluated communication competencies, and 135 participants from 15 countries evaluated education competencies. All competencies achieved consensus. Strong support was observed for person-centered communication, cultural humility, feedback and reflection, clinical teaching, and learner assessment. No significant differences were found between the ratings of Rounds II and III. CONCLUSION: This study provides the first internationally agreed-upon framework for communication and education competencies in OMPT fellowship training. These findings offer a foundation for curriculum design, assessment, and global standardization. Future research should validate assessment tools and expand consensus to additional domains.