Does online clinical mentoring for physical therapists enhance clinical practice and patient outcomes? A randomized controlled trial

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether a short-term online clinical mentoring program was more effective than asynchronous online lectures at improving physical therapists’ (PT) practice and their patients’ outcomes. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 27 PTs were randomized with allocation concealment to 6 h of online clinical mentoring sessions (experimental group) or 6-h of asynchronous online lectures (control group). The primary patient outcome was function, assessed using the Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS), evaluated at baseline (initial consultation) and 4-week follow-up. Secondary patient outcomes were the Functional Rating Index (FRI) and Global Rating of Change Scale (GRC). Clinician (PT) outcomes were the ‘Clinician Confidence Questionnaire for Patients with Spinal Pain’ and the ‘Self-Reflection Insight Scale’, which were evaluated before and after the professional development interventions by blinded assessors. Linear mixed model regression analysis was used to explore differences in patient outcomes. PT outcomes were analyzed using analyses of covariance to control for any baseline differences. Results: Twenty-three PTs and 122 patients completed follow-up assessments. There were no between-group differences for any patient clinical outcomes (PSFS MD = 0.02, 95% CI −0.83, 0.79, p = 0.95; FRI MD = −3.01, 95% CI −10.71, 4.69, p = 0.42; Global Rating of Change MD = −0.08, 95% CI −1.09, 0.92, p = 0.86). There were also no differences between groups in terms of PTs confidence (MD = −2.17, 95% CI −9.11, 4.76, p = 0.52) or self-reflection insight (MD = 3.66, 95% CI −1.94, 9.27, p = 0.19). Conclusion: A 6-h online clinical mentoring program did not significantly influence PT confidence, self-reflection nor the outcomes of their patients when compared to 6 h of asynchronous online lectures. Impact: The results from this study may inform those designing or seeking professional development. Future online clinical mentoring should consider alternative program designs, target PTs with capacity to improve their patient outcomes, and evaluate effects on patients with chronic pain. Trial registration: ACTRN12622000123741.