C.M. Pechak, PT, PhD, MPH, Physical Therapy Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W University Ave, El Paso, TX 79968 (USA).
Phys Ther. 2014 Apr;94(4):523-33. doi: 10.2522/ptj.20130246. Epub 2013 Dec 12.
Physical therapist students are increasingly engaging in international clinical education (ICE). The growth of international engagement has been accompanied by appeals to ensure that these experiences are conducted in an ethical manner. Although detailed guidelines have been developed to guide global health training in general, they do not specifically address all aspects relevant to ICE in physical therapist education.
The purpose of this study was to systematically develop recommendations for the implementation of ICE in physical therapist education to promote ethical practice.
An initial virtual focus group of 5 physical therapist faculty with expertise in ICE provided input to review and revise global health training guidelines previously developed by non-physical therapists. The revised guidelines were distributed to a pool of 19 physical therapist faculty with ICE experience for additional review and revision through 3 online Delphi survey rounds.
The participants accepted 31 of the original guidelines with or without revisions, rejected 2 guidelines, and developed 10 new guidelines or subguidelines. Most notably, they rejected a guideline related to students pursuing training outside of a structured program, stressing that ICE should never be done outside of a formal program.
The primary limitation is that the study included only faculty from sending institutions and thus lacked the voices of the host institutions, students, partner organizations, or funders.
This study systematically produced guidelines for ICE in physical therapist education using a range of ICE experts from sending institutions. The recommendations may be used by educators and other decision makers to optimally design new ICE opportunities or to improve existing ones. Additional validation should be done to ensure relevance for all stakeholders.
物理治疗专业的学生越来越多地参与国际临床教育（ICE）。随着国际参与度的提高，人们呼吁确保这些经验是以合乎道德的方式进行的。尽管已经制定了详细的指南来指导一般的全球健康培训，但它们并没有具体解决与物理治疗师教育中的 ICE 相关的所有方面。
本研究的目的是系统地制定在物理治疗师教育中实施 ICE 的建议，以促进道德实践。
最初的 5 名具有 ICE 专业知识的物理治疗师教师进行了虚拟焦点小组讨论，为审查和修改以前由非物理治疗师制定的全球健康培训指南提供了投入。修订后的指南分发给了一组具有 ICE 经验的 19 名物理治疗师教师，通过 3 轮在线 Delphi 调查进行了额外的审查和修订。
参与者接受了 31 条原始指南中的 31 条，其中包括修订或不修订的内容，拒绝了 2 条指南，并制定了 10 条新的指南或子指南。最值得注意的是，他们拒绝了一条与学生在没有结构化计划的情况下寻求培训相关的指南，强调 ICE 绝不应在没有正式计划的情况下进行。
主要限制是该研究仅包括来自派遣机构的教师，因此缺乏来自接待机构、学生、合作组织或资助者的声音。
本研究使用来自派遣机构的一系列 ICE 专家，系统地为物理治疗师教育中的 ICE 制定了指南。教育者和其他决策者可以使用这些建议来优化设计新的 ICE 机会或改进现有的 ICE 机会。应进行额外的验证，以确保所有利益相关者的相关性。
