Evidence Based Practice (8988.2)
Available teaching periods | Delivery mode | Location |
View teaching periods | On-campus |
Bruce, Canberra |
EFTSL | Credit points | Faculty |
0.125 | 3 | Faculty Of Health |
Discipline | Study level | HECS Bands |
Discipline Of Physiotherapy | Level 4 - Undergraduate Advanced Unit | Band 2 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021) Band 3 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021) |
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:1. Appropriately identify different levels of evidence and their value in healthcare decisions;
2. Source, critically appraise evidence based approaches to research and healthcare decisions; and
3. Identify the gaps in knowledge, considering meaning and relevance to a real-world scenario.
1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
6540 Introduction to Statistics OR1809 Data Analysis and Statistics OR
8575 Health Data Analysis OR
11398 Introduction to Research in Health Sciences OR
another equivalent unit.
This unit is only available to students enrolled in 202JA Bachelor of Physiotherapy, 686AA Bachelor of Human Nutrition.Incompatible units
Basic statisticsYear | Location | Teaching period | Teaching start date | Delivery mode | Unit convener |
2025 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 1 | 03 February 2025 | On-campus | Mrs Maja Leech |
2026 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 1 | 16 February 2026 | On-campus | Dr Elisabeth Preston |
Hoffmann, T., Bennett, S. & Del Mar, C. (2024). Evidence-based practice across the health professions (4th ed.). Elsevier. (hardcopy)
Herbert, R, Jamtvedt, G, Birger Hagan, K., Mead, J, Elkins, M. 2022 Practical Evidence-Based Physiotherapy, 3rd Edition, Elsevier, Edinburgh. (hardcopy).
How to read a paper: series of 10 articles by Trish Greenhalgh. (free access to 1997 version)
Greenhalgh, T. 2014. How to read a paper, 5th Edition, Wiley, New York. (ebook).
Straus, SE, Scott Richardson, W, Glasziou, P, Brian Haynes, R. 2011 Evidence-based Medicine: How to practice and teach EBM, 4th Edition, Elsevier Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh. (hardcopy).
Submission of assessment items
Extensions & Late submissions
Students are permitted to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as indicated in the assessment instructions for this unit.
GenAI may only be used in authorised ways when completing assessments at UC. This means that GenAI can only be used for an assessment when:
- the Unit Convener has authorised GenAI use for that assessment
- the student uses GenAI in the way that the assessment instructions allow
- the student fully acknowledges their use of GenAI, with proper citations, references and a GenAI Acknowledgement Statement in line with the assessment instructions.
Where the assessment instructions do not specifically state that GenAI may be used and how, then its use is not permitted for that assessment. Students must still provide the required GenAI Acknowledgement Statement to indicate whether GenAI has or has not been used in the preparation of the assessment. If unsure, students should seek advice from the Unit Convener.
The GenAI for Students Library Guide provides further information, including how to reference GenAI.
Physiotherapy Policies and Procedures
The University of Canberra has policies to ensure your university experience is smooth, equitable, consistent, and you can be confident in the systems and processes that are in place. From time to time Physiotherapy has some additional requirements, that are due to our programs being accredited by the Australian Physiotherapy Council. These requirements usually mean our policies and procedures are a little stricter than elsewhere in the university.
The Discipline of Physiotherapy adheres to the University of Canberra’s policies on moderation. The standard of assessment in this unit will be equivalent wherever and however the unit is delivered. Assessment will be moderated to ensure that judgments of students’ performance are consistent, transparent, reliable and valid.
Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.
Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.
UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).
UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.
Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.
Students are required to attend lectures and tutorials face-to-face. Where students miss lectures or tutorials, these can be made up by watching the lecture recordings on Canvas. Where students miss tutorials it is expected that students will try to make up this work by discussing the tutorial with their peers. If the student is still missing content or has specific questions, these can be directed to the unit convener.
To get the most out of this unit it is strongly recommended that students keep up to date with the weekly readings and practice quizzes.
This Unit contains participatory elements which are vital to the Australian Physiotherapy Council professional learning outcomes for this Unit. Except in the case of extenuating circumstances, attendance is expected at all lectures and tutorials for this unit. It is expected that students unable to fulfill these participation requirements will inform the Unit Convener as soon as practical by email.
Required IT skills
The take-home test and in-class test will be computer-based. They will include both multiple-choice and short answer questions, therefore, students will be required to type their answers for the short answer questions.
Students are encouraged to purchase a copy of the textbook to enable them to keep up with weekly readings, which are examinable.
Work placement, internships or practicums
Mandatory notification and physiotherapy student registration
Mandatory notification and physiotherapy student registration Mandatory Notifications to the Physiotherapy Board of Australia Pursuant to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009, physiotherapy practitioners (registered physiotherapists) and education providers have an obligation to report ‘notifiable conduct', to the Physiotherapy Board of Australia in order to prevent the public being placed at risk of harm.
Education providers are also required, under s.143 of the National Law, to make mandatory notifications in relation to students, if the provider reasonably believes:
- a student enrolled with the provider has an impairment that, in the course of the student undertaking clinical training, may place the public at substantial risk of harm;
- a student for whom the provider has arranged clinical training has an impairment that, in the course of the student undertaking the clinical training, may place the public at substantial risk of harm.
Practitioners are required to make a mandatory notification in relation to a student if the practitioner reasonably believes that a student has an impairment that, in the course of the student undertaking clinical training, may place the public at substantial risk of harm. All concerns raised within the Discipline of Physiotherapy or by clinical supervisors or preceptors will be reviewed by the Head of Discipline and the Course Convener before any reporting action is taken. These professional obligations are taken seriously by staff and the University.
Students should be aware of their obligations under student registration. For further information, please refer to the following websites:
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority
- Physiotherapy Board of Australia, Occupational Health and Safety
Occupational Health and Safety
The following applies to all tutorial classes and practicums:
Students are advised that the same warnings given to patients apply to students undertaking this course e.g. where a pre-existing condition(s) may be affected by any activity in the unit, the student is responsible to advise the unit co-ordinator or relevant teaching staff.
Physiotherapy work requires manual handling. You will be taught the correct way to perform manual handling and should use the principles at all times to prevent injury to yourself or your client. If you have any injury that may affect your capacity to perform manual handling skills you are required to notify the unit convener at the commencement of the semester. If you obtain a new injury during the course of the semester that may affect your capacity to perform manual handling skills you are required to notify the unit convener prior to the next practical class. In the event of an injury being sustained during the practice of skills in class you are required to notify the unit convener within 24 hours of the event and complete a UC incident form.
Respect and consent
Students will be required to play the part of a patient and a therapist during practical classes. This may involve partially disrobing as appropriate. All professional courtesy and respect is to be provided. This includes consent, draping, and safety.
The student who is role-playing the patient should be given the full respect and courtesy that a patient would. This includes giving warnings, obtaining informed consent before a manual technique is performed, covering body areas that do not need to be exposed for the practice of the technique, and not making any inappropriate verbal comments.
As a ‘patient', you will be expected to partially disrobe to allow the ‘therapist' to see relevant body regions. Please ensure you are wearing appropriate clothing for the level of dress required during practical classes. Appropriate clothing reinforces a professional environment that fosters mutual respect, confidence and learning.
Mobile phones must be switched to silent mode prior to the commencement of class. No cameras, videos or audio recordings are to be used in tutorials without the specific permission of other students and the unit convener. Any person taking a picture, video or audio recording of another student without permission will be requested to leave the class and the recordings will be confiscated and deleted. They will also be brought to the Discipline Lead.
In the course of studying physiotherapy students may be exposed to clinical cases and situations that may be stressful. At UC a free Counselling Service is available for all students. All sessions are confidential. The UC Counselling Service is located in the UC Health and Counselling Centre on Level B in Building 1. For more information please go to http://www.canberra.edu.au/health-counselling