{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nBehaviour-focused clinical reasoning is essential for effective physiotherapy practice. Physiotherapy education must equip students with competencies in psychosocial and behavioural aspects of assessment and intervention. Evidence of South African physiotherapy students' knowledge and competencies in behavioural medicine remains unexplored.Objectives\n\nTo assess behaviour-focused clinical reasoning competencies among final-year physiotherapy students at a South African university and compare these competencies with those of final-year students from two Swedish universities with integrated behavioural medicine curricula.Method\n\nA cross-sectional comparative study design was employed. Final-year physiotherapy students (N = 38) from a South African university completed the Reasoning 4 Change (R4C) questionnaire. Swedish comparative data (N = 61) were included. Data were analysed using frequencies, percentages and independent t-tests. Cohen's d with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was calculated.Results\n\nThe South African cohort scored significantly lower for knowledge (mean 32.6, standard deviation [s.d.] ± 5.1 vs. 35.7 ± 4.8; p = 0.003; d = -0.63), cognition (31.7 ± 6.0 vs. 34.9 ± 5.8; p = 0.012; d = -0.53), input from client (34.2 ± 6.3 vs. 38.5 ± 7.2; p = 0.003; d = -0.62), functional behaviour analysis (21.8 ± 2.6 vs. 23.8 ± 2.9; p < 0.001; d = -0.71) and strategies for behaviour change (16.2 ± 1.9 vs. 19.6 ± 3.7; p < 0.001; d = -1.07), but scored significantly higher for self-efficacy (77.8 ± 12.5 vs. 70.4 ± 12.6; p = 0.005; d = 0.59) and contextual factors (20.2 ± 2.7 vs. 14.9 ± 4.7; p < 0.001; d = 1.31).Conclusion\n\nExplicit behavioural medicine integration within physiotherapy education may strengthen behaviour-focused clinical reasoning competencies.Clinical implications\n\nLongitudinal integration of behavioural medicine content may strengthen students' behaviour-focused clinical reasoning, client engagement and behaviour change competencies in physiotherapy practice.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Interprofessional Education Unit, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.",
    "Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.",
    "Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies, Sol Plaatje University, Kimberley, South Africa.",
    "Division of Physiotherapy, School of Health, Care and Welfare, Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden.",
    "Research Development and Postgraduate Support Office, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shamila Gamiet",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1290-6876"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Farhana Karachi",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4419-6490"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "José Frantz",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8296-5601"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Maria Elvén",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5356-916X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Joliana Phillips",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7186-8128"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d8tgfrekwppan.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.4102/sajp.v82i1.2345",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13748499",
  "id": "d8tgfrekwppan",
  "issns": [
    "0379-6175",
    "2410-8219"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/43011161",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2714|Clinical Reasoning and Diagnostic Skills"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220376198",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13748499?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13748499",
  "pmid": "43011161",
  "published": "2026-10-06",
  "publisher": "AOSIS",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d8tgfrekwppan.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-12T15:25:13Z",
      "native_id": "MED:43011161",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/43011161"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-13T12:26:19Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13748499",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.4102/sajp.v82i1.2345"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2714|Clinical Reasoning and Diagnostic Skills",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Evaluating physiotherapy students' clinical reasoning skills on clients' activity-related behaviour and behaviour change: A comparative study in South Africa using Swedish reference data.",
  "title_text": "Evaluating physiotherapy students' clinical reasoning skills on clients' activity-related behaviour and behaviour change: A comparative study in South Africa using Swedish reference data.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-14T03:20:07Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d8tgfrekwppan",
  "venue": "The South African journal of physiotherapy",
  "versions": []
}