Impact of Simulation-based Learning on the Performance of Cardiorespiratory Skills in Undergraduate Physiotherapy Students: A Stratified Randomised Controlled Trial

Introduction: Simulation-based Learning (SBL) is widely recognised for bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and clinical practice in health professional education. However, its systematic application in Indian physiotherapy education is limited, and its impact on developing essential cardiorespiratory clinical skills remains understudied. Aim: To assess the effect of SBL in improving cardiorespiratory skills among Indian Physiotherapy students compared with traditional bedside training. Materials and Methods: The present single-blinded, Stratified Randomised Controlled Trial (SRCT) was conducted at D.Y. Patil Deemed to be University, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India from September 2022 to December 2022. Ninety IVth year Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) students participated in a two-day theory session and were then allocated to two groups (n=45 per group). Over three weeks, the control group underwent only traditional bedside teaching, whereas the experimental group completed a 27-hour SBL module in addition to traditional bedside training. Both groups were assessed at baseline and after three weeks of basic cardiorespiratory skills training such as subjective evaluation, Blood Pressure (BP) measurement, auscultation, teaching breathing exercises, nebulisation techniques, and transfers using an adapted, validated checklist. Baseline and post-training scores were compared using Wilcoxon signed rank test and Mann-Whitney’s U test with significance set at p