Authors (including presenting author) :
Ng WS (1), Lau MYS (2), Chan CK (3), Leung SM (1), Siu HK (1)
Affiliation :
(1) Physiotherapy Department, Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH), (2) Physiotherapy Department, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (AHNH), (3) Physiotherapy Department, North District Hospital (NDH)
Introduction :
Protocol-driven TELE low back pain exercise classes (LBPEC) via Tele-training have gained recognition in hospitals, but low attendance rates and manpower shortages remain challenging. To address these issues, a cross-hospital cluster-based TELE LBPEC has been established in NTEC at PWH, AHNH, and NDH.
Objectives :
To evaluate the therapeutic effect and manpower implication of cross-hospital cluster-based TELE LBPEC as compared with conventional model.
Methodology :
Chronic low back pain patients received onsite sessions and 2 TELE LBPEC sessions for exercise education via Telehealth. Unlike the conventional model that a single therapist from one hospital serves patients from that specific hospital, cross-hospital TELE LBPEC is delivered by a therapist from one of the three hospitals, serving patients to all three hospitals simultaneously. Therapists rotate hosting duties every four months, with sessions conducted biweekly.
Patients were referred by case physiotherapists, and Numeric Global Rate of Change Score (NGRCS), Numeric Pain Rating Score (NPRS), and Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) are assessed before and after treatment. Clinical outcomes, subjective satisfaction score and man-hour used are compared between 2 models with statistical analysis.
Result & Outcome :
Between 14/8-6/12/2024, 16 cross-hospital LBPEC sessions were held with 19 participants. Conventional and cross-hospital LBPEC had an average of 3 and 6 onsite sessions respectively, with both models having an average of 2 TELE sessions.
Both Cross-hospital and conventional participants experienced significant improvements in NPRS (p < 0.001) and RMDQ (p < 0.001) after TELE LBPEC. Results show no significant differences between both classes (NPRS p = 0.73, NGRCS p = 0.43, RMDQ p = 0.15), indicating therapeutic equivalence in cross-hospital LBPEC model.
Subjective feedback collected through questionnaires indicates that all patients in cross-hospital LBPEC expressed satisfaction with the class, with the average score of 5.056 out of 6.
With the implementation of cross-hospital LBPEC, the number of man-hour needed for serving patients from three hospitals was reduced from 32 to 16 hours, which showed 50% reduction in manpower usage.