Identifying Learning Strategies to Improve Blood Pressure Measurement in Physical Therapy Education Programs

Identifying Learning Strategies to Improve Blood Pressure Measurement in Physical Therapy Education Programs

The purpose of this study is to determine an effective teaching strategy for Physical Therapy students in a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program that will produce consistent and accurate measuring of patient BP readings in the healthcare clinic according to the guidelines established by the AHA.

This study is anticipated to have 40-45 students as participants that can vary in age range, but will mostly be centered around the 21-30 year old age range demographically. Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students that are enrolled in the DPT program at Youngstown State will be recruited for this study, along with, patients who receive Physical Therapy services at the Midlothian Free Clinic. The participants will also come from both gender groups, with no exclusion criteria based on age and gender for this study.

Exclusion Criteria:

Group 1 Exclusion criteria (Experimental group):

1. Must be admitted to DPT program at Youngstown State University
2. Complete the Blood Pressure (BP) measure training module in the Clinical Skills Foundation
3. Pass the competency lab examination in Clinical Skills Foundation (> 80% score)

Group 2 Exclusion criteria (Control group):

1. Must be admitted to DPT program at Youngstown State University
2. Have not completed the BP training module (AMA) and competency lab examination in the Clinical Skills Foundation course

Patient Exclusion criteria:

1. Must be able to follow basic commands
2. Must be able to perform a transfer to multiple surfaces