Advancements in physical therapists’ assessment using physical agents: A focus on online objective structured clinical examination

The Online Objective Structured Clinical Examination (O-OSCE) is a novel tool in health education, offering secure clinical scenarios for skill development and clinical reasoning. To describe the design, implementation, and student satisfaction of an O-OSCE designed to assess clinical skills in physical therapists regarding the application of physical agents. Twenty-four students (17 males,7 females; average age 33±4) from the Physiological Foundations and Intervention with Physical Agents program at Universidad Andrés Bello participated. The program, comprising six courses, aims to train physical therapists or final-year students in advanced clinical skills related to physical agents. The O-OSCE featured nine stations: analgesia (S1), muscle relaxation (S2), tissue repair (chronic stage) (S3), tissue repair (acute stage) (S4), muscle strengthening (S5), phototherapy dosing (S6), interpreting electrotherapy parameters (S7), analyzing physical agents’ application (S8), and rest stations (S9, S10). Experts validated stations for clarity, relevance, and pertinence using a Likert scale. The expert validation revealed strong consensus across clarity, relevance, and pertinence for most stations, particularly highlighting analgesia (S1) and electrotherapy (S7). Stations focusing on analgesia (S1), muscle relaxation (S2), and chronic tissue repair (S3) achieved scores exceeding 70%, indicative of passing. Conversely, stations such as phototherapy dosing (S6) and analysis of physical agents’ applications (S8) obtained lower scores. Students overwhelmingly endorsed the O-OSCE's organization, station alignment, and educational utility. The O-OSCE enhances physical therapy education, offering a safe environment for practice. Student satisfaction underscores its value, suggesting integration into training programs for improved clinical readiness. Further research is needed to explore its impact.