Blended intensive programs in higher education: collaborative innovation for digital health in physiotherapy

Blended Intensive Programs (BIP), merge short-term mobility with online collaboration to promote innovative learning and teaching approaches (BIP, 2024). These actions support joint program development for students, academics within Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and enable participants to create creative solutions, particularly in the context of Digital Health and Emerging Technologies in Health Care. Academics from nine institutions in eight countries developed a BIP to enhance participants' awareness and knowledge of integrating digital health into their practice. The two-month program, involving 11 teachers and 34 students, included online sessions and an in-person week. The course covered digital health technologies and their applications in physiotherapy, discussing innovative strategies to improve patient care and outcomes. Participants gained insights into the complexities of healthcare systems in different countries and the importance of incorporating digital health in the clinical context for professionals and patients. An online questionnaire collected student´s feedback, providing a comprehensive overview of their experiences and learning outcomes. Overall, most respondents (n=20) Agreed or Strongly agreed on the BIP's positive impact on their knowledge, awareness, and professional development in digital health. The responses indicate a favorable reception of the program's content and activities, reaffirming its essential role for future professionals.N/

Blended intensive programs in higher education: collaborative innovation for global health challenges

Blended intensive programs (BIP) in higher education combine short-term mobility with online collaboration (BIP, 2024) to foster innovative learning and teaching methods. These initiatives facilitate joint curricular development for students, academics, and staff in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and empower students to create innovative solutions for global health issues. Eight institutions from six countries developed a BIP to enhance students' understanding of global health and social challenges. The two-month program, involving 12 teachers and 35 students, was divided into an online session and an in-person week. The course covered migration, non-communicable diseases, climate change, and economic impacts on global health, emphasizing the Sustainable Development Goals. By the course's end, participants gained insights into global health complexities and the need for collaborative innovation. An online questionnaire surveyed participants, collecting both quantitative data and qualitative feedback, providing a comprehensive overview of their experiences and learning outcomes. Survey responses were mainly positive (n=25). Most participants felt the program increased their awareness of global issues, the importance of societal participation, and their profession's role in addressing them. However, some found certain lectures and activities less relevant, indicating areas for improvement.N/

Epistemic beliefs as a determinant in evidence-based practice in physiotherapy–a multi-country (Europe) cross-sectional online survey study

Purpose: This article assumes that, in order to improve evidence-based practice in physiotherapy, practitioners need sophisticated epistemic beliefs. Epistemic beliefs, or how physiotherapists view knowledge and how they come to this knowledge, are an important factor. A high sophistication of epistemic beliefs is linked to better handling of the complexity and uncertainty of daily practice and the variety of evidence resources associated with this practice. Materials and methods: This study explored the epistemic beliefs of physiotherapists in 10 different countries in Europe using an online survey: the Connotative Aspects of Epistemic Beliefs (CAEB). Results and conclusions: The study resulted in 1419 surveys. The epistemic beliefs proved to be of little difference between countries, showing a low to moderate sophistication in epistemic beliefs. Given the similar results between countries, this study also suggested the possibility of collaborating internationally in developing an epistemology in physiotherapy that is more suited to the complexity of current demands on health systems. The development of sophistication in epistemic beliefs should be firmly on the agenda for the education of physiotherapists.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Epistemological beliefs of European physiotherapists – a multi-countrycross-cultural adaptation for the DEBQ and the CAEB questionnaires

[Abstract] This article assumes that epistemological beliefs of physiotherapists are an important determinant in improving the concept of evidence-based practice. Little research has been done on epistemological beliefs in physiotherapy. In order to measure the sophistication of epistemological beliefs in future research, two complementary questionnaires (DEBQ and CAEB) were cross-culturally adapted in nine different countries and seven languages in Europe. A standardized seven-step guideline was used to translate and culturally validate the questionnaires. The questionnaires were distributed in the respective countries, resulting in 1386 participants. The psychometric values were analysed in order to verify consistency and validity. Based on the validation process, the instruments are considered to be validly adapted for the countries involved. The uniformity in the adaptation process allows for future comparison of the countries

QuaranTrain: An international community of practice for learning

The Covid-19 pandemic presented challenges for students and teachers to engage and create good learning environments. In this situation, new opportunities for learners and teachers to engage and learn have evolved. Historically, communities of practices have been developed and used to help solve complex and dynamic challenges in society. The idea is that people get an opportunity to work together to solve a specific challenge or task. Here we present a pedagogical community of practice (CoP), QuaranTrain, where students from different countries have developed a platform for co-creation and sharing material and strategies for better health during a period with social distancing. This student-led and self-organised CoP have created a framework for learning that our health care educations can be inspired by and use in their programs. We conclude that out of this challenging situation, new and creative ways of learning emerged, which can enrich and develop health care education

Self-regulated learning in physical therapy education: a non-randomized experimental study comparing self-directed and instruction-based learning

Contains fulltext : 201354.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Projecto para a prevenção das consequências da inatividade e do isolamento social em jovens no contexto da Pandemia COVID-19

Introdução e Objetivos: A atividade física, é definida como qualquer movimento corporal produzido por músculo esquelético (Caspersen et al.,1985) que requer dispêndio de energia (Piggin, 2020). O contexto pandémico (COVID-19) promoveu uma diminuição da atividade física moderada a vigorosa, aumentando o sedentarismo e o isolamento social. Com o objetivo de prevenir as consequências da inatividade e do isolamento, foi criado por alunos de várias instituições internacionais o projecto QuaranTrain (quarantrain.org). Material e Métodos: Para ser incluído neste projecto, foi desenhado um programa, com o intuito de promover e guiar a prática de atividade física em casa, em 5 dimensões diferentes: flexibilidade, capacidade aeróbia, força, controlo ventilatório e técnicas de relaxamento. Foram também incluídas no programa 3 outras dimensões, entre elas: nutrição, saúde mental/autogestão emocional e recomendações da atividade física. Foi criada informação escrita e vídeos educativos que foram implementados no website internacional do projecto (quarantrain.org). No mesmo é possível ao utilizador, após a auto-avaliação determinar o seu nivel, construir o seu programa de exercício de diferentes intensidades categorizando-os por cores (verde, amarelo e vermelho). O programa foi divulgado entre os alunos da ESSAlcoitão durante o ano de 2021, tendo sido criado um questionário online para a avaliação de satisfação dos utilizadores com dimensões relacionadas com o objectivo, design/layout, conteúdos e usabilidade. Resultados: Obteve-se 32 respostas ao questionário distribuído pelos 4 anos dos cursos da ESSA (1º Ano - 18,8%, 2º Ano - 25%, 3º Ano - 43%, 4º Ano - 12,5%), onde foi reportado um grau satisfação elevado relativo ao objectivo do projecto (71%) e design/layout (71%) e moderado relativamente aos conteúdos (59%) e usabilidade (59%). Conclusões: Programas de educação são de extrema importância para a promoção de um estilo de vida saudável e na gestão da saúde de cada indivíduo. Assim a criação e implementação e utilização deste tipo de estratégias por alunos de licenciatura poderá ter interesse no contexto académico e profissional.N/

Collaborative effort to increase the physiotherapist’s competency in rehabilitation of torture survivors

Thank you for this opportunity to share perspectives from our work within the Physiotherapy and Refugees Education Project, PREP, an Erasmus+ funded project within the KA2 strategic partnership program. Researchers, educators, students, and clinicians within institutions of higher education, health services and humanitarian organisations, have worked together in this project to define competencies that physiotherapists need in working with refugees. Based on this, we have made a course openly available for physiotherapists worldwide. A central aim of the work in PREP has been the creation of a network in which educators, students and clinicians can meet, discuss, and learn from each other. We welcome everyone who shares our interest to join us in this network. In this perspective paper, we want to share our thoughts and opinions on how such a collaboration can be used for building competence. We will discuss topics that are central for physiotherapists working with victims of torture, and finally, we will discuss what we believe are the important next steps within physiotherapy to be able to support this group

Collaborative effort to increase the physiotherapist’s competency in rehabilitation of torture survivors

Thank you for this opportunity to share perspectives from our work within the Physiotherapy and Refugees Education Project, PREP, an Erasmus+ funded project within the KA2 strategic partnership program. Researchers, educators, students, and clinicians within institutions of higher education, health services and humanitarian organisations, have worked together in this project to define competencies that physiotherapists need in working with refugees. Based on this, we have made a course openly available for physiotherapists worldwide. A central aim of the work in PREP has been the creation of a network in which educators, students and clinicians can meet, discuss, and learn from each other. We welcome everyone who shares our interest to join us in this network. In this perspective paper, we want to share our thoughts and opinions on how such a collaboration can be used for building competence. We will discuss topics that are central for physiotherapists working with victims of torture, and finally, we will discuss what we believe are the important next steps within physiotherapy to be able to support this group