Peer Review

Clinical Logic for Injuries to Muscles, Ligaments and Nerves

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Apr 15, 2012 by Biology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: “Clinical Logic for Injuries to Muscles, Ligaments and Nerves” is an animated tutorial of a virtual athletic training clinic. The tutorial takes the learner through the process of evaluating injuries in the clinical setting using range of motion (ROM) tests by using a problem based learning pedagogy. The tutorial contains review questions for the user to assess their learning throughout the module. It is primarily aimed at athletic therapists but other trainees in Physical Therapy and Medicine would find it a useful review.
Type of Material:: The site can be used as an animated tutorial, as well as a drill-and-practice learning tool.
Recommended Uses:: This site can be used to create an understanding on how proper assessment and accurate diagnosis are related. The materials presented could be used in an anatomy or kinesiology course as a review of what the student has learned and for students to apply their knowledge to solve some clinically based problems.
Technical Requirements:: This material is best used with a high speed Internet connection and Flash Player is required.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The overall goal of this site is to provide athletic therapist students with the proof that a quality, no short-cut assessment, can produce an accurate diagnosis of injuries to the extremities. The learning objectives are well documented and are continuously presented as a check list in each of the modules. As stated by the author(s), after completing the module, students will be able to: 1) define what HOPS stands for, 2) explain how range of motion (ROM) tests fit into the HOPS injury assessment, 3) use range of motion test results to identify injuries to specific anatomical structures, 4) define key terminology, and 5) explain how the assumptions made in the virtual clinic are different from the real world.
Target Student Population:: The primary target for this site includes athletic therapist trainees, but physical therapy, nursing, and medical students may also benefit from these materials.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Pre-requisites may include some prior knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

Uses a problem based learning pedagogy
Using this material may be as good as personal tutoring, with the benefit of repeatability
Methodolgy and examples chosen are excellent
Content is organized well for students to apply their current knowledge to a clinical problem
Learning goals and clarification of what is not covered are exquisitely clear
Material is complete for understanding the basics of range of motion testing

Concerns:

Students must have prior knowledge about anatomy and kinesiology for this module to be beneficial
The animation makes it hard to see the significant characteristics of the patient walking, such as the foot drop. Videos could provide a higher quality image
Videos would be useful to show how to do the palpation and range of motion tests

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

Learning objectives are clearly stated and the module reviews the objectives throughout the learning experience
Constant involvement of the user in the learning process and the straightforward logical manner of presentation are excellent
A large number of "what if" scenarios are presented to ensure student involvement
Concepts are reinforced progressively with each virtual patient seen
Quiz questions are found throughout the module with feedback and the questions review core concepts
The module clearly demonstrates the relationship between injuries and range of motion tests
The module is interactive and engaging with animation throughout
Appeals to multiple learning styles with audio, visual, and text options

Concerns:

Prerequisite knowledge is stated, but not at the beginning of the module
A fast-forward button to skip through some of the content would be useful
The module is lengthy and takes approximately 50 to 60 minutes to complete

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

Runs in a linear fashion but all patients can be selected individually
The module is easy to navigate with clear instructions provided
The module is engaging and interactive
Complete text captioning is available to replace the audio
While in each patient problem a sliding scale diagram provides visual cue as to time remaining
A hard copy practice assessment form is printable and encouraged
Quizzes provide feedback

Concerns:

Limited opportunity for student feedback
The module makes assumptions that the learner already knows some of the terminology, such as active, passive and resisted range of motion test, and anatomical terminology such as dorsiflexion, flexion, etc.
It would be interesting to provide the user who chooses to complete the review at the end of the module with a rating of success

Other Issues and Comments:: Because it runs in Flash, one reviewer was not able to use it on an iPad. However, that's an Apple issue not the site designer.
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