Informing the Development of Telehealth Education in Physiotherapy Programs. Assessments and Interventions for Individuals Accessing Physiotherapy Care via Synchronous Telehealth. A Scoping Review.

Background: In order to develop contemporary telehealth curricula for entry-to-practice physiotherapy programs that develop the capabilities required to practice telehealth, it is important to evaluate the delivery of telehealth practices within the physiotherapy profession.

Objective: To assess the current literature to (i) determine what types of assessments and interventions have been delivered via synchronous forms of telehealth (videoconferencing and telephone) by physiotherapists (ii) determine which platforms were used for service delivery and which practice areas have delivered synchronous telehealth physiotherapy assessments and interventions.

Design: Scoping review adhering to Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines.

Physiotherapists perceive hosting clinical placements in private practice as an investment in future physiotherapists: a mixed-methods study.

Questions: What do private practitioners perceive to be the benefits, barriers, costs and risks of hosting physiotherapy students on clinical placement? What models of placement are used and what support would private practitioners like to enable them to continue hosting students?

Design: A national mixed-methods study comprising a survey and four focus groups.

Participants: Forty-five private practitioners from six states and territories who host on average 208 students per year (approximately one-third of all physiotherapy private practice placements in Australia) completed the survey. Fourteen practitioners participated in focus groups.

Clinical placements in private practice for physiotherapy students are perceived as safe and beneficial for students, private practices and universities: a national mixed-methods study.

Question: What are the extent and characteristics of clinical placements in private practice for physiotherapy students? What do university clinical education managers perceive to be the benefits, risks, barriers and enablers of clinical placements in private practice for physiotherapy students? What training and support are available for private practitioners?

Design: Mixed methods study combining a national survey and in-depth, semi-structured focus group interviews.

Participants: Twenty clinical education managers from Australian universities who had graduating students in entry-level physiotherapy programs in 2017 (95% response rate) responded to the survey with data on 2,000 students. Twelve clinical education managers participated in the focus groups.

Students achieve comparable performance scores for clinical placements in public and private sectors: a longitudinal observational study.

Questions: Does student clinical performance differ according to healthcare sector? Does student clinical performance at Macquarie University differ from other Australian graduate entry-level programs?

Design: A longitudinal observational study with comparison to national data.

Participants: A total of 284 physiotherapy students from Macquarie University.

Outcome Measures: Each student's clinical performance was evaluated by a clinical educator using the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) tool at the end of four 5-week clinical placements.

Radial nerve palsy in mid/distal humeral fractures: is early exploration effective?

Background: Radial nerve palsies are a common complication with displaced distal humeral fractures. This case series examines the outcomes of early operative exploration and decompression of the nerve with fracture fixation with the view that this provides a solid construct for optimisation of nerve recovery.

Methods: A total of 10 consecutive patients with a displaced distal humeral fracture and an acute radial nerve palsy were treated by the senior author by open reduction and internal fixation of the distal humerus and exploration and decompression of the radial nerve.