An essential element of evidence-based practice is reading articles reporting the results of high-quality clinical research. Unfortunately, only one-third of clinicians report reading journal articles – and those who do, read on an irregular basis. With over 42,000 articles reporting the effects of physiotherapy interventions now easily available online, it’s time for this to change.
The #MyPTArticleOfTheMonth challenge is designed to encourage physiotherapists to regularly read high-quality research. The challenge is simple; read at least one article reporting the results of clinical research each month during 2019.
The articles can evaluate the effects of an intervention, usefulness of a diagnostic test, estimate prognosis, or explore patient perceptions. You can identify the articles by posing clinical questions or by browsing the latest journals. PEDro is a great source of articles about the effects of interventions, and you can subscribe to PEDro’s Evidence in your inbox to receive the latest research in your area of practice every time PEDro is updated.
The aim of the #MyPTArticleOfTheMonth challenge is to help physiotherapists develop their skills in identifying and reading the best clinical research to inform patient care. This is a skill that improves with practice and is facilitated by sharing discoveries with your peers. We will use a hashtag #MyPTArticleOfTheMonth on Twitter and Facebook for you to share your reading with the global physiotherapy community.
Each month PEDro will be sharing the reading habits of prominent physiotherapy clinicians, researchers and educators. We will also be posting resources on how to identify high-quality articles and how to read and understand research articles throughout 2019.
This campaign is supported by World Confederation for Physical Therapy, the Australian Physiotherapy Association and the Société Française de Physiothérapie.
Please join us on this journey.