Table 4.
Association between PD needs for skills items and the variables of years of clinical practice experience, current caseload of patients with RA, postgraduate (PG) qualifications in musculoskeletal physiotherapy (MSKP), and primary area of work in MSKP (n = 273).
| Theme | PD required % of respondents |
Yrs Clin Expa
Chi-square (df), P value OR (95% CI) |
Current RA caseload Chi-square (df), P value OR (95% CI) |
PG MSKP Quals Chi-square (df), P value OR (95% CI) |
Primary work area MSKP Chi-square (df), P value OR (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ability to conduct and record a thorough musculoskeletal examination specific to RA | 95.2 |
6.5
(1),
0.01* 0.55 (0.35 : 0.87) |
3.9 (1), 0.05 0.29 (0.08 : 1.07) |
1.6 (1), 0.21 0.44 (0.11 : 1.67) |
2.1 (1), 0.15 0.42 (0.13 : 1.41) |
| Ongoing monitoring of disease activity and severity | 93.8 |
6.2
(1),
0.01* 0.60 (0.40 : 0.89) |
5.0
(1),
0.03* 0.29 (0.09 : 0.91) |
5.1
(1),
0.02* 0.30 (0.10 : 0.90) |
5.2
(1),
0.02* 0.29 (0.09 : 0.90) |
| Ability to implement staged treatment strategies in accordance with evidence-based guidelines | 91.9 |
4.4
(1),
0.04* 0.68 (0.47 : 0.97) |
1.7 (1), 0.19 0.55 (0.22 : 1.36) |
2.6 (1), 0.11 0.43 (0.15 : 1.25) |
0.2 (1), 0.64 0.81 (0.34 : 1.95) |
| Ability to monitor a patient's progress and outcomes | 91.6 |
12.8
(1),
<0.01* 0.52 (0.37 : 0.75) |
3.8 (1), 0.05 0.41 (0.16 : 1.03) |
2.2 (1), 0.14 0.45 (0.16 : 1.32) |
2.4 (1), 0.12 0.50 (0.21 : 1.22) |
| Ability to provide education | 89.4 | 0.5 (1), 0.49 0.89 (0.64 : 1.24) |
3.1 (1), 0.08 0.49 (0.22 : 1.10) |
0.8 (1), 0.37 0.62 (0.22 : 1.76) |
1.0 (1), 0.32 0.67 (0.31 : 1.47) |
| Ability to adjust assessment and treatment strategies in accordance with evidence-based guidelines and comorbidities | 89.0 |
10.2
(1),
<0.01* 0.60 (0.43 : 0.82) |
3.7 (1), 0.06 0.46 (0.21 : 1.03) |
4.0 (1), 0.05 0.39 (0.15 : 1.00) |
1.4 (1), 0.24 0.63 (0.29 : 1.36) |
| Ability to implement evidence-based treatments while waiting for a diagnosis to be confirmed | 86.1 |
4.0
(1),
0.04* 0.74 (0.56 : 0.99) |
5.9
(1),
0.02* 0.41 (0.20 : 0.86) |
5.6
(1),
0.02* 0.37 (0.16 : 0.87) |
8.0
(1),
<0.01* 0.35 (0.17 : 0.74) |
| Identification of potential physical complications of RA | 85.7 |
17.1
(1),
<0.01* 0.54 (0.41 : 0.73) |
5.0
(1),
0.03* 0.45 (0.22 : 0.92) |
7.9
(1),
<0.01* 0.32 (0.14 : 0.73) |
2.5 (1), 0.11 0.57 (0.29 : 1.15) |
| Ability to take and record a thorough patient history specific to RA | 84.6 |
5.8
(1),
0.02* 0.71 (0.54 : 0.94) |
1.7 (1), 0.19 0.64 (0.33 : 1.25) |
9.3
(1),
<0.01* 0.30 (0.13 : 0.67) |
1.1 (1), 0.30 0.71 (0.36 : 1.37) |
| Capacity to be involved with annual multidisciplinary team reviews of patients with RA | 81.7 | 0.60 (1), 0.44 0.90 (0.69 : 1.18) |
0.8 (1), 0.36 0.75 (0.41 : 1.40) |
2.1 (1), 0.16 0.55 (0.24 : 1.27) |
0.4 (1), 0.55 1.21 (0.65 : 2.23) |
| Excellent communication skills | 72.5 | 3.2 (1), 0.08 0.81 (0.64 : 1.02) |
0.83 (1), 0.36 0.78 (0.46 : 1.33) |
0.8 (1), 0.39 1.47 (0.61 : 3.54) |
0.0 (1), 0.92 1.03 (0.60 : 1.75) |
| Ability to recognise professional limitations specific to management of RA | 71.1 |
4.6
(1),
0.01* 0.74 (0.59 : 0.93) |
3.9 (1), 0.05 0.59 (0.35 : 1.00) |
1.0 (1), 0.32 0.68 (0.32 : 1.45) |
0.1 (1), 0.72 1.1 (0.65 : 1.90) |
| Ability to provide self-management support and encouragement | 71.1 | 2.6 (1), 0.11 0.83 (0.66 : 1.04) |
3.9 (1), 0.05 0.59 (0.35 : 1.00) |
0.0 (1), 0.85 0.93 (0.42 : 1.05) |
1.4 (1), 0.25 1.37 (0.81 : 2.3) |
aOR from the equation represents the increase or decrease in odds for a 10-year increase in clinical experience.
Abbreviations: RA: rheumatoid arthritis; PD: professional development; Yrs clin exp: years of clinical experience; Quals: qualifications; df: degrees of freedom; OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval.