Dissemination of Student Research in a Canadian Master of Science in Physical Therapy Programme

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To determine the extent of presentation and publication, as well as time to publication, of student research completed as a component of a Master of Science in Physical Therapy (MScPT) degree at a Canadian university. Method: The authors conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of MScPT research projects completed between 2003 and 2009, each undertaken by a group of MScPT students who carried out protocol development, ethics submission, data collection, analysis, and manuscript and poster preparation under the supervision of research advisors. Research advisors were e-mailed a request for citations of presentations and publications. Results: Advisors from 102 of 113 research projects completed from 2003 through 2009 provided information, for a response rate of 90.3%. Of the 102 groups, 53.9% disseminated findings through publication or presentation, 33.3% presented at one or more conferences, and 30.4% published at least one peer-reviewed journal article. Median time to publication was 21 months. Almost half the journal articles (47%) were published in Physiotherapy Canada. Conclusions: MScPT student research groups are disseminating their findings through publication or presentation at a moderate rate. Investigation of factors influencing dissemination is needed to develop strategies to facilitate knowledge transfer.

The role of scholarly practitioner is one of seven professional roles that physical therapists in Canada are expected to fulfil.¹ This role requires competently engaging in a reflective approach to practice, engaging in scholarly inquiry, and incorporating lifelong learning and experiences into best practice.¹ Entry-level physical therapy degree programmes apply several education strategies, including a requirement to conduct research, to foster competency in the scholarly practitioner role.

The Master of Science in Physical Therapy (MScPT) degree programme at the University of Toronto, Canada, is a 24-month, course-based professional programme leading to entry to practice.² Groups of four or five students participate in a capstone exercise that involves conducting a research project under the supervision of one or more research advisors. Students develop a research proposal, obtain ethics approval, collect and analyze data, and prepare a manuscript. Since 2007, students have also been required to prepare a poster for presentation at an annual MScPT research day. Physical therapists with a bachelor's degree may enrol in the one-year Advanced Standing programme² and participate in the MScPT research curriculum to obtain an MScPT degree.² Advanced Standing students attend lectures with the MScPT students but, because of the part-time nature of the programme, conduct their research in separate groups.

Following the MScPT research day, student research groups are expected to disseminate their research findings through conference presentation or publication, but the extent to which they do so is not known. While rates of publication following the presentation of study abstracts have been documented,³ evidence of publication rates among trainee health professionals is limited to medical students and residents.^4–6 Our objective in this study, therefore, was to determine the extent of presentation and publication, as well as the time to publication, of student research undertaken as part of the requirements for an MScPT degree at the University of Toronto.

Methods

Study design and participants

We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of advisors who supervised MScPT or Advanced Standing projects completed between 2003 and 2009, incorporating a minimum 2-year follow-up period to allow sufficient time for publication.

Procedure

In May 2011, we e-mailed 393 eligible advisors the title and year of each project in which they had participated and requested citations for any dissemination activity, including peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed presentations and publication of findings. In September 2011, we sent a reminder e-mail to non-responders, including an option for advisors to forward their curriculum vitae, from which we could extract pertinent citations. Citations for published articles were verified either by searching the journal directly online or via PubMed.

Data analysis

Frequencies and percentages of groups giving conference presentations or publishing a peer-reviewed journal article were determined for each year and overall. By consensus among the authors, we considered presentation/publication rates of 0%–30% as low, 31%–60% as moderate, and 61%–100% as high. We classified presentations as international, national, provincial, or local based on the conference title. Time in months from project completion to the earliest month of publication, either online or in print, was determined. We did not seek ethics approval for the study, as data were collected as part of a programme evaluation.

Results

A total of 113 research projects were completed between 2003 and 2009. At least one advisor from 102 of these projects responded and provided information, for a response rate of 90.3%. Of the 102 projects, 95 were completed by MScPT students and 7 by Advanced Standing students. Table 1 summarizes the characteristics of research groups, presentations, and publications.

Table 1.

Characteristics of MScPT Student Research Groups, Response Rates, Presentations, and Publications, 2003–2009

	Year
Characteristics	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Total
No. of projects
MScPT	11	13	14	16	17	17	17	105
AS	0	0	3	1	1	2	1	8
Total	11	13	17	17	18	19	18	113
No. of students per group
% with 4	54	85	28	25	0	41	24	34
% with 5	45	15	71	75	100	59	76	66
Advisors per group, median (range)	2 (1–3)	4 (2–5)	4 (2–8)	3.5 (2–6)	3 (2–7)	3 (3–5)	4 (2–7)	3 (1–8)
Groups responding, no. (%)	7 (63.6)	10 (76.9)	16 (94.1)	15 (88.2)	17 (94.4)	19 (100)	18 (100)	102 (90.3)
Groups presenting at least once, no. (%)	3 (42.9)	3 (30.0)	6 (37.5)	4 (26.7)	4 (23.5)	6 (31.6)	8 (44.4)	34 (33.3)
No. of presentations
International	1	1	5	4	0	1	3	15
National	2	2	4	0	2	4	4	18
Provincial	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	4
Local	1	1	0	0	3	1	0	6
Total	4	4	9	4	5	7	10	43*
Groups publishing at least 1 article, no. (%)	1 (14.3)	1 (10.0)	2 (12.5)	9 (60.0)	8 (47.1)	6 (31.6)	4 (22.2)	31 (30.4)
Total no. of articles published	1	1	2	9	8	7	4	32†

^*Nine research groups (8.8%) presented more than once.

^†One research group (1.0%) published twice.

MScPT=Master of Science in Physical Therapy; AS=Advanced Standing.

Of the 102 groups, 55 (53.9%) disseminated findings through a presentation or by publishing an article in a peer-reviewed journal. Research groups presented most frequently at the congresses of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association (16, 37%) and the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (8, 19%). The three journals in which research groups most frequently published were Physiotherapy Canada (15, 47%), Disability and Rehabilitation (3, 9%), and Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (3, 9%); median time to publication was 21 months. The number of peer-reviewed journal articles published, at increasing time intervals from the point of MScPT project completion, were as follows: 0–1 year: 4 (13%); >1–2 years: 18 (56%); >2–3 years: 4 (13%); >3–4 years: 4 (13%); >4–5 years: 2 (6%). Appendix 1 (online) lists the conference and journal citations.

Discussion

Over a 7-year period, the overall rate of dissemination through presentation or publication following completion of mandatory MScPT student research projects was moderate (53.9%). The overall rate of conference presentation alone (33.3%) was also moderate, and well below the rate of 69.2% observed in a study that examined 104 supervised research projects completed by medical residents in the United States.⁶ Differences may be attributed to the requirement for medical residents to complete two research studies, in contrast to the one project required in the MScPT programme, and to the availability of financial support for medical residents; the MScPT programme currently covers the cost of poster printing but does not fund travel to conferences. Our findings suggest that presentation rates gradually increased over the study period, from 23.5% in 2007 to 44.4% in 2009, perhaps as a result of the requirement to develop posters beginning in 2007.

The overall rate of publication observed (30.4%) is low, given that students complete a manuscript as part of the curriculum. Publication rates also appear to have increased over time, from <20% in 2003–2005 to >20% in 2006–2009. In a 1994 study, a publication rate of 50% observed among medical students and residents conducting supervised research was ascribed to early selection of projects, department financial support, and intensive direction and assistance from advisors.⁶ Additional factors may include the scope of projects, the number of publication venues for medical versus physical therapy research, career pressure to publish, and programme length.

The majority of MScPT student research groups that published a peer-reviewed journal article (56%) did so within 2 years of completing their research project; approximately one-third (32%), however, did so between 2 and 5 years after project completion. The timing of project completion (at the end of the MScPT programme) may pose challenges for dissemination, as graduates have competing priorities such as securing employment. Findings from a systematic review showing that time to publication ranges from 9 to 36 months indicate that the challenge of achieving timely publication is widespread.³

The majority of presentations were given at national or international conferences, and all articles were published in national or international peer-reviewed journals. This highlights the potential for MScPT students' research findings to influence practice within and outside of Canada.

Limitations

Research advisors for 11 student groups, primarily from 2003 to 2004, did not respond to our invitation to participate. If we assume that this was because these groups failed to present or publish, then the overall rates of presentation and publication would be 30.1% (vs. 33.3%) and 27.4% (vs. 30.4%), respectively. On the other hand, it may be that we have underestimated the overall publication rate due to an insufficient follow-up period for projects completed in 2008 and 2009, given that 32% of articles were published between 2 and 5 years after project completion.

Conclusions

MScPT student research groups at the University of Toronto are disseminating their findings through presentation and publication at a moderate rate. Investigation of factors influencing achievement of these activities is needed to inform the development of strategies to increase the rate and diversity of knowledge dissemination from MScPT student research.

Key Messages

What is already known on this topic

MScPT students at the University of Toronto are required to conduct a supervised group research project and are expected to disseminate their findings.

What this study adds

This is the first known study to investigate research dissemination among physical therapy students in Canada. More than half of MScPT student research groups at the University of Toronto disseminate results through either publication or presentation; the rate of presentation alone is moderate, and the rate of publication alone is low. Investigation of factors influencing knowledge dissemination is needed.

Appendix 1: Summary of Knowledge-Translation Activities, 2003–2009

Presentations (n=43)

*Indicates a project that produced two presentations.

Manuscripts Published in Peer-Reviewed Journals (n=32)

*Indicates a project that produced two publications.

Physiotherapy Canada 2013; 65(2);154–157; doi:10.3138/ptc.2012-18