title: Physiotherapy students' perceptions and experiences of clinical prediction rules.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Clinical reasoning can be difficult to teach to pre-professional physiotherapy students due to their lack of clinical experience. It may be that tools such as clinical prediction rules (CPRs) could aid the process, but there has been little investigation into their use in physiotherapy clinical education. This study aimed to determine the perceptions and experiences of physiotherapy students regarding CPRs, and whether they are learning about CPRs on clinical placement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey using a paper-based questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  Final year pre-professional physiotherapy students (n=371, response rate 77%) from five universities across five states of Australia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty percent of respondents had not heard of CPRs, and a further 19% had not clinically used CPRs. Only 21% reported using CPRs, and of these nearly three-quarters were rarely, if ever, learning about CPRs in the clinical setting. However most of those who used CPRs (78%) believed CPRs assisted in the development of clinical reasoning skills and none (0%) was opposed to the teaching of CPRs to students. The CPRs most commonly recognised and used by students were those for determining the need for an X-ray following injuries to the ankle and foot (67%), and for identifying deep venous thrombosis (63%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The large majority of students in this sample knew little, if anything, about CPRs and few had learned about, experienced or practiced them on clinical placement. However, students who were aware of CPRs found them helpful for their clinical reasoning and were in favour of learning more about them.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, University Dr, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Physiotherapy Department, Kempsey District Hospital, River Street, Kempsey, NSW 2440, Australia. Electronic address: Grahame.Knox@newcastle.edu.au.
authors.forename: Grahame M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Knox
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, University Dr, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. Electronic address: Suzanne.Snodgrass@newcastle.edu.au.
authors.forename: Suzanne J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Snodgrass
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, The University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia; Neuroscience Research Australia, Hospital Road, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia. Electronic address: Tasha.stanton@unisa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Tasha R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Stanton
authors.affiliation: Physiotherapy, Melbourne School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Alan Gilbert Building, 16 Barry Street, Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia. Electronic address: d.kelly@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Physiotherapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, St Lucia Campus, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. Electronic address: b.vicenzino@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Bill
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vicenzino
authors.affiliation: School of Physiotherapy, The University of Notre Dame Australia, Mouat St, Fremantle, WA 6959, Australia. Electronic address: benedict.wand@nd.edu.au.
authors.forename: Benedict M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Wand
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, University Dr, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. Electronic address: Darren.Rivett@newcastle.edu.au.
authors.forename: Darren A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Rivett
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D001364:Awareness; D000066491:Clinical Decision-Making / Q000379:methods*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000193:education*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Clinical education; Clinical prediction rule; Clinical skills; Decision making; Physiotherapy; Student