Development of an evidence-informed doctoral curriculum framework in physical therapy sciences: an international benchmarking and expert validation study.
6 affiliations
- 1College of Health Sciences, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates. [email protected].
- 2College of Health Sciences, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates. [email protected].
- 3School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
- 4School of Engineering, Robert Gordon University, Sir Ian Wood Building, Garthdee Road, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.
- 5College of Health Sciences, Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates.
- 6Chancellor, Gulf Medical University, Professor of Surgery, College of Medicine, Ajman, United Arab Emirates.
Abstract
Background
The expanding scope of Physical Therapy research, coupled with rapid advances in digital health, artificial intelligence, implementation science, and evidence-based rehabilitation, has increased the demand for doctoral graduates with advanced research, leadership, and interdisciplinary competencies. Despite this evolution, published guidance describing systematic and evidence-informed approaches to developing doctoral curricula in Physical Therapy Sciences remains limited. This study aimed to develop and externally validate an evidence-informed doctoral curriculum framework through systematic needs assessment, international benchmarking, competency mapping, and constructive alignment.Methods
A multiphase evidence-informed curriculum development methodology was employed. The study comprised seven sequential phases: (1) needs assessment and environmental analysis; (2) international benchmarking; (3) comparative curriculum analysis; (4) competency mapping ; (5) Curriculum framework development; (6) Curriculum refinement and quality assurance; and (7) external expert content validation. Twenty-four doctoral programmes from research-intensive universities in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Australia were screened, of which eighteen met the predefined inclusion criteria for benchmarking. The proposed curriculum was subsequently evaluated by an international panel of twelve experts using a structured validation instrument, and content validity was assessed using item-level and scale-level Content Validity Indices.Results
Benchmarking demonstrated substantial consistency across international doctoral programmes in advanced research methodology, biostatistics, research ethics, scientific writing, proposal development, and independent dissertation research. Comparative analysis further identified increasing emphasis on digital health, artificial intelligence, implementation science, interdisciplinary collaboration, research leadership, and knowledge translation as emerging doctoral competencies. These findings informed the development of a competency-based doctoral curriculum aligned with internationally recognised educational frameworks. External expert validation demonstrated high perceived relevance, competency alignment, curriculum structure, content appropriateness, and implementation feasibility of the proposed framework, with domain-specific agreement ranging from 92% to 100%. Minor recommendations related to curriculum sequencing and emerging digital competencies were incorporated without altering the overall doctoral curriculum framework.Conclusions
This study presents an evidence-informed and high perceived relevance, alignment, and feasibility among an international expert panel that aligns Physical Therapy Sciences education with contemporary international educational standards and evolving rehabilitation research priorities. The proposed framework offers a transparent methodology for curriculum development that integrates systematic benchmarking, competency mapping, and expert validation, providing a practical model to inform the development or revision of doctoral programmes in Physical Therapy and related health professions. Future implementation studies are warranted to evaluate its educational effectiveness across diverse institutional settings.
Related
- A precision health approach to medication management in neurodevelopmental conditions: a model development and validation study using four international cohorts
- Supporting high-quality enrollment decision-making in clinical research: development of a novel informed consent communication framework and curriculum.
- Institutional Residence Six Months After Acute Ischaemic Stroke: Prognostic Model Development, Internal Validation, and Between-Country Variation in the International Stroke Trial
- Development and Initial Validation of a Statistical Image Analysis Framework for Quantitative Bone SPECT/CT in Patients with Prostate Cancer
- A multimodal optimisation framework for cardiac electrophysiology model personalisation using computed tomography and 12-lead electrocardiogram: Algorithm development and validation
BibTeX
@article{hazari2026development,
title = {{Development of an evidence-informed doctoral curriculum framework in physical therapy sciences: an international benchmarking and expert validation study.}},
author = {Animesh Hazari and Praveen Kumar Kandakurti and Sampath Kumar Amaravadi and Ioannis Agouris and Varoon C Jaiswal and Manda Venkatramana},
journal = {BMC medical education},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1186/s12909-026-10581-4},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958285},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Development of an evidence-informed doctoral curriculum framework in physical therapy sciences: an international benchmarking and expert validation study.
AU - Animesh Hazari
AU - Praveen Kumar Kandakurti
AU - Sampath Kumar Amaravadi
AU - Ioannis Agouris
AU - Varoon C Jaiswal
AU - Manda Venkatramana
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - BMC medical education
DO - 10.1186/s12909-026-10581-4
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42958285
AB - Background The expanding scope of Physical Therapy research, coupled with rapid advances in digital health, artificial intelligence, implementation science, and evidence-based rehabilitation, has increased the demand for doctoral graduates with advanced research, leadership, and interdisciplinary competencies. Despite this evolution, published guidance describing systematic and evidence-informed approaches to developing doctoral curricula in Physical Therapy Sciences remains limited. This study aimed to develop and externally validate an evidence-informed doctoral curriculum framework through systematic needs assessment, international benchmarking, competency mapping, and constructive alignment.Methods A multiphase evidence-informed curriculum development methodology was employed. The study comprised seven sequential phases: (1) needs assessment and environmental analysis; (2) international benchmarking; (3) comparative curriculum analysis; (4) competency mapping ; (5) Curriculum framework development; (6) Curriculum refinement and quality assurance; and (7) external expert content validation. Twenty-four doctoral programmes from research-intensive universities in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Australia were screened, of which eighteen met the predefined inclusion criteria for benchmarking. The proposed curriculum was subsequently evaluated by an international panel of twelve experts using a structured validation instrument, and content validity was assessed using item-level and scale-level Content Validity Indices.Results Benchmarking demonstrated substantial consistency across international doctoral programmes in advanced research methodology, biostatistics, research ethics, scientific writing, proposal development, and independent dissertation research. Comparative analysis further identified increasing emphasis on digital health, artificial intelligence, implementation science, interdisciplinary collaboration, research leadership, and knowledge translation as emerging doctoral competencies. These findings informed the development of a competency-based doctoral curriculum aligned with internationally recognised educational frameworks. External expert validation demonstrated high perceived relevance, competency alignment, curriculum structure, content appropriateness, and implementation feasibility of the proposed framework, with domain-specific agreement ranging from 92% to 100%. Minor recommendations related to curriculum sequencing and emerging digital competencies were incorporated without altering the overall doctoral curriculum framework.Conclusions This study presents an evidence-informed and high perceived relevance, alignment, and feasibility among an international expert panel that aligns Physical Therapy Sciences education with contemporary international educational standards and evolving rehabilitation research priorities. The proposed framework offers a transparent methodology for curriculum development that integrates systematic benchmarking, competency mapping, and expert validation, providing a practical model to inform the development or revision of doctoral programmes in Physical Therapy and related health professions. Future implementation studies are warranted to evaluate its educational effectiveness across diverse institutional settings.
SN - 1472-6920
ER -