Feasibility of an online clinical assessment of competence in physiotherapy students

Figures & data

Table 1. Participant’s demographics.

Characteristics	Students (n = 17)	Assessors (n = 13)
Age (years), mean (SD)	24.3 (3.91)	45.6 (11.4)
Gender, n (%)
Female	12 (70.6)	13 (100)
Male	5 (29.4)	0 (0)
Experience level	Students= n (%)	Assessors= mean (SD)
2^nd year undergraduate	2 (11.8)	Years as physiotherapist	21.9 (10.8)
3^rd year undergraduate	7 (41.2)	Years as assessor	9 (5.5)
4^th year undergraduate	5 (29.4)
1^st year masters	1 (5.9)
2^nd year masters	2 (11.8)
Experience with remote technology, n (%)
None at all/A little	1 (5.9)	2 (15.4)
A moderate amount	5 (29.4)	4 (30.7)
A lot/A great deal	11 (64.7)	7 (53.8)
Attitude toward technology, n (%)
Extremely negative/Somewhat negative	0 (0)	0 (0)
Neither positive nor negative	3 (17.6)	2 (15.4)
Somewhat positive/Extremely positive	14 (82.4)	11 (84.6)
Attitude toward remote assessment, n (%)
Extremely negative/Somewhat negative	0 (0)	3 (23.1)
Neither positive nor negative	6 (35.3)	4 (30.7)
Somewhat positive/Extremely positive	11 (64.7)	6 (46.2)

Table 2. Feasibility themes with consensus.

Area of focus	Deductive analysis cues	Themes	Supporting quotes
Implementation	Was the assessment able to be completed without major deviation from procedure?	Online examination protocol works well	It ran smoothly, and it was very reassuring. It was very clear the roles of the two assessors. So no, I think that was that was all good. -Assessor 6
	Were any additional resources/assistance required to implement the assessment?	Protocol works without addition or assistance	I think it did work quite well. - Student 7
Practicality	How did participants feel about the time taken?	Time to complete assessment is appropriate length	No, I don’t think that time was an issue, I finished early.- Student 32
	How did participants feel about the resources required to complete the assessment?	Resources for assessment are appropriate	Yeah, it was practical, we use them [Zoom meeting] all the time at work and waiting rooms and all that kind of stuff. So, it’s very practical, very easy. - Assessor 11
	How did participants in the study feel about the workload/skills set required?	Skill and workload requirements are appropriate	If I can do it basically anyone can. I am not that IT savvy. - Assessor 7

Table 3. Feasibility themes without consensus.

Area of focus	Deductive analysis cues	Themes	Supporting quotes
Acceptability	Do participants feel the assessment is ready for use? Were they satisfied with the model?	Conflicting views on satisfaction with the assessment Assessors felt adjustments would be required before it could be used into the future. Students mostly satisfied with model and saw it working into the future	I don’t think it can be implemented to assess whether somebody is competent to practice in Australia at the new grad level. Yeah, I, I wouldn’t discount it. At this stage. I think there is some potential to tweak the model and have it potentially be appropriate but that would need obviously further trials. – Assessor 10 it’s such a great way to increase accessibility, especially in the world as it is today. – Student 19
Demand	Do participants see a need for this type of assessment?	Mixed feelings about the need for this assessment. Students felt it was way of the future. Assessors felt that the current practice suffice	I don’t feel that its [online assessment] something we a really looking for, yet. – Assessor 12 I think the need for this is huge … because of the technology, developing involving the online assessment isn’t just a trend. Yeah, like other assessments, like language assessment, many other things have started to provide online versions as well. -Student 6

Table 4. Cross-tabulation of student outcomes (competent/not-competent) in online versus in-person examinations.

		In-person
		Competent	Not competent	Total
Online	Competent	1	2	3
	Not competent	1	13	14
	Total	2	15	17

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, BF, upon reasonable request.