Title:	COMPETENCES OF PHYSIOTHERAPISTS REQUIRED FOR THE PRACTICAL USE OF SOFTWARE IN THE THERAPEUTICAL PROCESS
Author(s):	Karin Messer-Misak, Rudolf Egger
ISBN:	978-989-8533-53-1
Editors:	Mário Macedo
Year:	2016
Edition:	Single
Keywords:	Competence, Skills, Physiotherapy, Software Tools for Therapy
Type:	Full Paper
First Page:	75
Last Page:	82
Language:	English
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Full Contents:	click to dowload
Paper Abstract:	The education of health professionals in the German-speaking countries has recently been moved to a tertiary level. With this move, an increased use of new technologies and expanded software solutions is expected in this professional area. Actually the necessary knowledge and competencies to integrate software solutions in the therapeutical process are not dealt with in the educational training. Additional training to enlarge the therapist’s professional knowledge after their graduation takes into account either the training of interpersonal skills of therapists or the physiotherapeutic expertise. Only few training units cover the aspects of the usage of special therapeutical equipment. The use of software that is supposed to support the administration and documentation of the therapeutic issues is conveyed on the job. By the example of physiotherapy, the primary objective of this study was to define the specific competencies of therapists that are necessary to integrate the practical use of software in the therapeutical process. These cover the administration, documentation and evaluation of the entire therapy process, including a database with pictures and videos about exercises which can be adapted individually by the therapists. The approach of mixed-methods design was chosen. In the first part a two-stage qualitative study was carried out, followed by a quantitative survey. The results show that for the professional use of software regarding the therapy-related part within the therapeutical process it is not only necessary to expand the therapists’ knowledge about the functionality of software. It is also essential to expand some key competencies regarding the social and communicative, the methodological, personal and activity/action competences to embed the use of the advanced functionalities only then it will become possible to integrate software successfully in the therapeutic process.
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