Designing a pre-registration integrated Doctorate in Physiotherapy programme to address future workforce capacity

As physiotherapy practice has evolved, so too has the demand for strong evidence on which to base the profession. Barriers to embedding research in practice include: organisational culture; lack of time; and difficulty in evaluating and interpreting published research (Grimmer-Somers et al, 2007; Scurlock-Evans et al, 2014). Traditional Physiotherapy pre-registration programmes at undergraduate and Masters levels have developed to address the challenges faced in establishing a professional evidence base; however, confidence in applying research skills in practice is often still insufficient.