Assessing Student Learning of Spinal Mobilization With Real-time Objective Feedback

This is a research project on physical therapy education. Subjects will be recruited using convenience sampling from second-year physical therapy students on the campus of Youngstown State University. There are currently 28 students in the class. All students will be recruited to participate in the study. The objective of the study is to assess student learning of grades of spinal mobilization with real-time objective feedback.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: learning spinal mobilization with a force sensor

Detailed Description

Sampling: Subjects will be recruited using convenience sampling from second-year physical therapy students on the campus of Youngstown State University.

Research Design: Randomized controlled trial (RCT). Subjects will be randomly assigned to the experimental group or control group. Subjects will attend a spinal mobilization lecture followed by a practice lab.

Randomization: Once enrolled in the study, each student will be randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. Randomization will occur via a random number generator and allocation will be concealed in opaque envelopes.

Intervention:

The experimental group will use a force sensor (Active5) while learning spinal mobilization during the practice lab portion of the class. The force sensor will provide objective feedback to the students. Each student will be instructed on how to use the Active 5 device prior to utilizing it in the classroom setting. The device can display the amount of force generated by the student on a smartphone or a tablet in real-time so the students would be able to adjust the amount of force.

The Control group will participate in the same classroom lecture and activity. However, during the practice lab portion of the class, the control group will only receive traditional subjective feedback from the class instructor and/or student peers.

A perceived competence scale survey (score between 0-10 with 10 being confident and 0 being not confident) with demographic information will be administered immediately after the intervention. An independent blinded instructor will serve as the assessor of student skill level to avoid bias immediately after the intervention/procedure. Student t-test will be used for data analysis.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 28
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Ohio
    • Youngstown, Ohio, United States, 44555
      • Youngstown State University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years to 60 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Second year Physical Therapy students; males or females; age between 20 and 60 years of age.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Student who is not a second year Physical Therapy student or unwilling to participate in the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental; Subjects were able to practice spinal manipulation using the Activ5 device (Activbody, San Diego, CA, USA) for real-time objective visual feedback during in class lecture and lab. Activ5 device has a built-in force sensor that can provide realtime objective visual feedback via a Bluetooth connected mobile device.	Other: learning spinal mobilization with a force sensor; Experimental group will use a force sensor (Active5) while learning spinal mobilization during the practice lab portion of the class. The force sensor will provide objective feedback to the students. Each student will be instructed on how to use the Active 5 device prior to utilization it in the classroom setting.
Active Comparator: Control; Subjects were taught spinal mobilization using the traditional approach.	Other: learning spinal mobilization with a force sensor; Experimental group will use a force sensor (Active5) while learning spinal mobilization during the practice lab portion of the class. The force sensor will provide objective feedback to the students. Each student will be instructed on how to use the Active 5 device prior to utilization it in the classroom setting.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
A perceived competence scale survey instructor will serve as the assessor of student skill level to avoid bias. Student t test will be used for data analysis. Perceived competence scale survey	A self reporting survey (score between 0-10 with 10 being confident and 0 being not confident)	immediately after the intervention/procedure

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Student mobilization skill	Assessed by instructor on 0-10 scale (10 being a satisfactory and 0 being not satisfactory)	immediately after the intervention/procedure

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Youngstown State University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Weiqing Ge, DPT, PhD, Youngstown State University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 10, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 10, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): August 10, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 14, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 5, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): July 6, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 6, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 5, 2022
• Last Verified: July 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 174-19

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No