Postgraduate Physiotherapy Training in a Quandary - Ramifications of Corona virus pandemic Lockdown: A Survey-based Study

Introduction: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has disrupted clinical services and postgraduate training across the world. Hence, this survey was conducted to understand the impact of pandemic on Physiotherapy post-graduate (PG) education. Methods: It was a cross-sectional, observational study. A total of 254 Physiotherapy PG trainees were recruited through snowball sampling from Physiotherapy colleges across the state of Maharashtra. A 34-item structured questionnaire was developed, based on available literature, to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on four domains: academic training, clinical training, research activities, and concerns faced by a PG trainee. The face validity of this questionnaire was assessed by six academicians and their suggestions were examined. Subsequently, it was piloted on five PG trainees before administering it to the participants. The validated questionnaire was then circulated via various social media platforms and personal contacts using Google form. Descriptive statistics were summarized as frequencies/ percentages. McNemar’s test was used to determine the differences on a dichotomous dependent variable between the two related groups using SPSS software. Results: Overall 131 trainees provided complete responses. Although 85% (n=111) of them claimed they attended PG teaching activities through online mode, almost 67% (n=101) disagreed to have achieved their learning objectives. A vast majority (91%, n=119) of them felt that their specialty related practical training was severely affected, and 98% (n=129) reported that reduced caseload had impacted their clinical learning. Also, 70% (n=54) of final year PGs had difficulty in recruiting new participants for their dissertation. Spread of infections to family (98%), commuting in public transport (98%), uncertainty about exam dates (91%), and competency development in specialty areas (96%) were some of their concerns. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic had impacted various domains of Physiotherapy PG program such as academic, clinical and research areas. Regulatory authorities should take serious consideration and devise strategies to overcome it.