Article

The depth and breadth of prior experience informs clinical decision
making in novice and experienced physical therapist clinicians. The
aims of this research were to identify differences in clinical decision-making
abilities and processes between novice and experienced physical therapist
clinicians and to develop a model of the factors that influence clinical decision
making. DESIGN: Qualitative research methods and grounded theory were used to
gain insight into the factors and experiences that inform clinical decision
making. METHODS: Three participant pairs (each pair consisted of 1 novice
physical therapist and 1 experienced physical therapist) were purposively
selected from 3 inpatient rehabilitation settings. Case summaries from each
participant provided the basis for within- and across-case analyses. The
credibility of the results was established through checking of the case summaries
by the participants, presentation of low-inference data, and triangulation across
multiple data sources and within and across participant groups. RESULTS: The
factors that influenced clinical decision making were categorized as informative
or directive. Novice participants relied more on informative factors, whereas
experienced participants were more likely to rely on directive factors. An
intermediate effect beyond novice practice was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The results
of this study may be used by educators and employers to develop and structure
learning experiences and mentoring opportunities for students and novice learners
with the aim of facilitating the development of skills and abilities consistent
with expert clinical decision making.

Langue : ANGLAIS