More physiotherapy helps patients recover faster

18 July 2016
Physio staff helping rehab patient

An intensive new physiotherapy routine will see some patients able to return home from hospital much earlier following major surgery, new research at The Alfred has found. 

Lara KimmelThe study, led by Senior Physiotherapist at The Alfred Lara Kimmel, has identified that physiotherapy sessions performed three times daily, rather than the traditional once-daily, saw recovery time significantly reduced by up to 10 days. 

Ms Kimmel along with colleagues from Alfred Health, Monash University and La Trobe University, completed a randomised trial of 92 patients aged 65 years or more with isolated hip fractures, comparing regular once-daily physiotherapy sessions with sessions three times a day.

After the pre-operative differences between the groups were taken into account, there was a significant difference in functional mobility at day five after surgery. 

There was also a significant difference in the length of hospital stay for the intensive physiotherapy group, “with a 10-day reduction across acute and subacute care, reflected by a similar improvement in the time to physical readiness for discharge”.

Further, the difference in length of stay was still evident well into the rehabilitation period.

Ms Kimmel said the program has already received funding at The Alfred and in the first week, three hip fracture patients have been sent home who would usually require inpatient rehabilitation. 

“Following intensive physiotherapy, patients appear to be independent earlier in their hospital stay, improving their confidence and ability to function.  ” Ms Kimmel said.

“By simply increasing the amount of physiotherapy patients do each day, patients are able to return home sooner which is of great benefit to the hospital system without negatively affecting the long term outcome for the patient.  .”

In 2016, it is estimated 26,000 people will suffer hip fractures in Australia with a predicted total cost of $1 billion.

Treatment of hip fractures consumes about 44 per cent of total fracture-related health care expenditure, and accounts for 36 per cent of all hospital beds occupied by patients with low trauma fractures.

If these results could be replicated on a national basis, there could potentially be major reductions in the number of bed-days associated with hip fractures - according to the Australian Orthopaedic Association.

This research was published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

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