Use of Albert Bandura’s sources of self-efficacy to facilitate students’ acquisition of clinical skills and creativity in physiotherapy: a case report

Background: Physiotherapy education requires students to acquire both theoretical and practical knowledge that will enable them to manage their patients and/or clients effectively. The aim of this article is to report the case of a patient with impairment in motor function following stroke that was managed by a group of students using constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT). Method: At first, the students were taught by the teacher how to administer CIMT to patients with stroke using Albert Bandura’s sources of self-efficacy. They were then asked to identify a patient and design and administer CIMT under the supervision of the teacher. Results: After the intervention, motor function (performance), as well as the amount and quality of use of the limb, improved by 0.41, 0.35 and 0.39 points, respectively, at two weeks. At four weeks, motor function (performance), amount and quality of use of the limb improved by 1.35, 0.98 and 1.0 points, respectively. In addition, motor function (time) decreased by 2.1 seconds at two weeks, and 3.07 seconds at four weeks. Upper limb self-efficacy improved by 2.2 points at two weeks, and improved by 3.8 points at four weeks. In addition, the group of students stated that, ‘This way helped us to learn easily, and we are now confident in managing such cases at any time.’ Conclusions: Use of Bandura’s sources of self-efficacy may enhance students’ learning.