Factors that affect the development of clinical reasoning skills of physiotherapy students in practice placements in the United Arab Emirates.

Introduction: Evidence indicates that clinical reasoning skills determine the quality of patient care however, the process by which physiotherapists achieve expertise in clinical reasoning is yet to be clearly established due to limited knowledge of the factors influencing the development of clinical reasoning skills among physiotherapy students.

Purpose: This paper presents findings from a research that investigated factors affecting the development of clinical reasoning skills among physiotherapy students in practice placements.

Methods: The study used mixed methods approach and collected data through self-assessment of clinical reasoning and reflection (SACRR) questionnaire and interview. A total of 34 physiotherapy students participated in quantitative study. In the qualitative study 9 students and 26 clinical educators participated.

Results: Findings from quantitative and qualitative data show that the main factors that affect the development of clinical reasoning skills of physiotherapy students in practice placements are related to students’ knowledge, skills and experience such as theory-practice gap, open-mindedness, withstanding uncertainties, problem-solving, decision-making and reflective practice.

Conclusion: This study identified important factors influencing the clinical reasoning skills of physiotherapy student’s which can inform practice educators and clinical education providers, particularly in the health sector, to identify potential strategies for building the capacity for clinical reasoning among physiotherapy students and practitioners.