Evidence Based Practice I

This is the first course in the Evidence Based Practice sequence that prepares students with the knowledge and skills to be an evidence-based practitioner. The American Physical Therapy Association’s Vision 2020 calls for physical therapists to “render evidence based services throughout the continuum of care.” The course emphasizes lifelong learning and the need for integrating the best available research into clinical practice.

The curriculum in critical exploration is designed to provide students with knowledge and understanding of the purpose and methods of research in the biomedical, social and basic sciences relevant to the practice of physical therapy. The course introduces skills regarding ethics of clinical research, writing answerable questions, efficient and structured methods to find, appraise and apply relevant research, measurement theory, validity (internal and external), reliability and study designs.