Supervised teaching and feedback improve physiotherapists’ reporting of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health in physiotherapeutic electronic patient records: a proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Rationale, aims, and objectives The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is a landmark for physiotherapy to describe the full spectrum of human functioning, but ICF patient record completion could improve. In this study, we examine the effect of supervised teaching and personalized feedback on physiotherapists' completion and reporting of ICF in electronic patient records.

Method In this proof‐of‐concept randomized controlled trial, the intervention group (10 physiotherapists) received supervised teaching and four rounds of personalized feedback on reporting of ICF components in electronic patient records. In the intervention group, review on patient record completion (n = 670 records) was performed at baseline, after teaching, after each of four feedback rounds, and at long‐term follow‐up. In the control group (five physiotherapists), which received no supervised teaching nor personalized feedback, review (n = 140 records) was performed at baseline, after the third feedback round of the intervention group, and at follow‐up.

Results After the third round of feedback (95% vs 72% completion; β, 2.68; 95% CI, 0.62‐4.74), patient record completion was significantly higher in the intervention group. This was also true for following ICF components: “activity” (93% versus 64% completion; β, 3.03; 95% CI, 1.52‐4.54), “participation” (50% versus 14% completion; β, 3.67; 95% CI, 1.79‐5.55), and “personal factors” (35% versus 20% completion; β, 2.10; 95% CI, 0.63‐3.57). These statistically significant and clinically relevant effects persisted at long‐term follow‐up. For “environmental factors,” effects after the third round of feedback (75% vs 30% completion; β, 1.88; 95% CI, 0.63‐3.13) disappeared at follow‐up. Reporting of “body functions and structures” improved similarly across groups.

Conclusions Supervised teaching and personalized feedback are active ingredients of an intervention to improve reporting of ICF components in physiotherapeutic patient records.