DPT 513 - Critical Inquiry I

This course provides the knowledge and skills necessary to critically appraise research designs and research findings relevant to physical therapy practice. This course will introduce both quantitative and qualitative research designs. In the quantitative research design, statistical analyses including the concepts of measurement, research design, analysis and communication of research findings will be introduced. In the qualitative research design, foundational concepts related to qualitative research will be introduced with an emphasis on the role that qualitative research fills in the evidence-based practice of physical therapy. Topics include: descriptive statistics, measures of variability, single subject designs, parametric and non-parametric statistics, inference, correlation and regression, reliability and validity, sensitivity and specificity, sampling, comparisons between research designs, and a discussion of multimodal research designs. The course also focuses on critically examining the psychometric properties of tests and measures of health status, body function and structure, activity, and participation. These topics will be presented with a focus on the application of clinical research principles to physical therapy practice. At the end of the course, students are expected to become proficient in the interpretation of published research by demonstrating knowledge of the application of statistics and different methods of research. Students will have opportunities to critically appraise the quantitative and qualitative literature and interpret statistical evidence in a manner that informs the practice of physical therapy.

Credits: 3

Program Doctoral