Effectiveness of Google Glass to Teach Clinical Behaviors in Physical Therapy Students.
Purpose
This retrospective study assessed the use of Google Glass (Glass) to teach clinical behaviors in a clinic-based course to establish a culture of client-centered care in physical therapy education. The specific objectives included assessment of 1) studentsÕ experiential learning via Glass-recorded videos providing the clientÕs vantage point; 2) studentsÕ perceptions of the differences and their preferences between i) self-evaluation, ii) peer-evaluation, and iii) client feedback; and 3) studentÕs experience of using Glass for learning.
Methods/Description:
Thirty-seven DPT students independently reviewed their clinical care performance with a client as recorded by Glass, worn by the client. Students watched the Glass videos at the end of the term and completed self-evaluation. They also received a peer- evaluation from one other classmate and feedback from the client. StudentsÕ experience with Glass learning was assessed through a survey consisting of five open-ended questions. A second survey consisting of nine Likert scale based questions assessed their perceptions and preferences of the different evaluation methods. Self and peer-evaluation forms included categories of ÔsafetyÕ, ÔprofessionalismÕ, Ôclient interactionsÕ, ÔteamworkÕ, Ôcommunication, Ôresource managementÕ and overall feedback. Likert scale data was analyzed for frequencies and central tendency. Researchers independently analyzed text answers from the self-evaluation and peer-evaluation forms for theme identification in order to compare consistency and differences in the feedback.
Results/Outcomes:
Of the 37 students who completed the course, all completed the self-evaluation and peer-evaluation forms. All students completed the first survey of their experience with Glass and 35 completed the second survey to assess their preferences and perceptions. Majority students indicated they were comfortable being recorded by Glass worn by their client during the encounter (97.3%). Few students indicated that the Glass affected their ability to communicate with clients (13.5%), that it was a distraction (21.6%), or that it affected their performance (2.7%). Majority experienced some technical issues during their therapy session (54%), but found the Glass video feedback helpful (97.3%). Glass was consistently identified by the students as a unique and effective feedback from patientÕs vantage point. Among the different categories, ÔcommunicationÕ and Ôclient interactionÕ were most reflected upon by the students after viewing Glass video, including verbal and non-verbal communication. All students acknowledged that Glass provided helpful insights, much more than self-evaluation and peer-evaluation. Peer-evaluations were identified as beneficial for overall performance feedback as compared to self-evaluations.
Conclusions/Relevance to the conference theme:
Glass enhanced studentsÕ learning, as did self-evaluation, peer-evaluations and feedback from the client. Our results showed that Glass is an effective feedback method to promote student learning and reflections of their clinical behaviors and skills. Glass provides an innovative teaching strategy to promote client-centered care in physical therapy education and excellence in physical therapy practice.