Authors (including presenting author) :
CHAN HM, POON DWF
Affiliation :
Occupational Therapy Department, Prince of Wales Hospital
Introduction :
Shoulder pain affects people from all walks of life. It is the one of the most common causes of musculoskeletal conditions encountered in primary healthcare settings such as General Out-patient Clinic (GOPC). The Occupational Therapy (OT) program under the Enhanced Primary Public Service of the Department of Family Medicine, NTEC, provides pain relief modalities (e.g. The International School of Bowen Therapy (ISBT)-Bowen Therapy), strengthening and mobilization activities , ADL and ergonomic advice to reduce pain and enhance functional performance of patients with shoulder pain in GOPC. One of the major service goals is to empower patients in self-managing their pain and discomfort.
Objectives :
To evaluate the effectiveness of OT program in treating patients with shoulder pain
Methodology :
This is a retrospective pre-post study to determine treatment efficacy of the program. Patients attended GOPCs who suffered from shoulder pain will be referred to the program for individualized consultation, treatment content and regime will be tailor-made based on patients’ needs and therapists’ assessment. Outcomes, including pain (in Numeric Pain Rating Scale), range of motion and shoulder functions (Quick-DASH) will be evaluated by comparing them at initial assessment and discharge. Factors including demographic characteristics, pain severity and degree of shoulder impairment that affecting treatment efficacy will also be evaluated.
Result & Outcome :
A total of 209 patients (75 male (35.9%) and 134 female (64.1%)) were analyzed. Statistically significant improvement (p< .001) in pain (in Numeric Pain Rating Scale, with the mean change from 5.61 to 2.22), range of motion and shoulder function (Quick-DASH, mean change from 68.4% to 48.2%) were found for patients who completed OT program. A subjective mean improvement of 75% was achieved upon completion program. The duration of onset did not correlate with severity of pain and disability at baseline. No significant difference in treatment efficacy between sex, age and onset time. In conclusion, the retrospective review indicated that the primary care occupational therapy program was effective in reducing shoulder pain and improving ADL performance.
