Artikel
The Evolution of Hand Therapy Led Clinics
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Autoren
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Yvonne Fellner
- Eastern Health Box Hill Hospital, Mount Evelyn, Australia
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Tawse Stephanie
- Eastern Health, Box Hill Hospital, Box Hill, Australia
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Annette Leong
- Eastern Health, Box Hill Hospital, Box Hill, Australia
| Veröffentlicht: | 6. Februar 2020 |
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Gliederung
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Objective: To evaluate if Hand Therapy Led Clinics for Emergency and post operative patients, with specific upper limb diagnoses, can improve efficiency of clinic flow and patient satisfaction whilst not adversely affecting functional outcome.
Materials and Methods: Two separate projects were undertaken, over a 2 year period. Each project utilized similar outcome measures however targeted different patient groups.
In 2014 a prospective non-randomized trial was conducted with 60 patients, to determine the effectiveness of a direct referral system for post operative hand patients.
A subsequent prospective pre and post intervention study was conducted in 2015, with 50 patients referred to Hand Therapy directly from the Emergency Department with a range of well defined, uncomplicated hand injuries.
Outcome measurements included waiting times, functional upper limb measures, QuickDASH, occasions of service, patient satisfaction and complication rates.
Results: Both groups had successful outcomes, with statistically significant results. This evidence and the support of the Plastic Surgical Department enabled ongoing implementation of new referral pathways into 5 dedicated Hand Therapy Led Clinics.
Conclusions: Hand Therapy Led Clinics for direct referrals from Emergency and post operatively have successfully been implemented and sustained as a strategy to improve patient centered care, therapist career advancement and hospital efficiencies.
