An observational study on usual physiotherapy care in a stroke rehabilitation unit

Totally the wrong aim of the study. It should have been what are the results of  usual physiotherapy care. Without knowing that your stroke hospital has no fucking clue what problems need to be corrected.  But it makes their job so much easier if nothing needs to change because they are following the 'standard of care' that is really a total failure. But I'm not medically trained so obviously I'm totally missing the boat about the incompetence in your stroke hospital. Good luck recovering in such an environment. And biased beside by using high functioning patients.
http://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/ijtr.2016.23.Sup11.S549

Genevieve HendreySenior physiotherapist, Caulfield Hospital and LaTrobe University, Melbourne, Australia Gavin WilliamsSpecialist neurological physiotherapist and research fellow, Epworth Hospital, Australia Ross ClarkSchool of Health and Sports Science, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia Anne E HollandClinical chair, physiotherapy, La Trobe University and Alfred Health, Melbourne, Australia

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12968/ijtr.2016.23.Sup11.S549

Published Online: November 09, 2016

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Aim:

To document the range of physiotherapy interventions undertaken by stroke patients with mobility deficits during ‘usual care’ in inpatient rehabilitation.

Methods:

Twenty consecutively admitted adults were approached to participate if they met the inclusion criteria: diagnosis of first stroke with leg weakness; functional ambulation category score ≥3; able to mobilise ≥14 metres on level ground(I couldn't do that for months); and able to provide consent. All individual physiotherapy sessions for each participant were observed for one day. The duration of each therapy session was recorded, as well as the duration and type of specific physiotherapy interventions.

Findings:

Twenty participants (12 males, 8 females; mean ± SD age: 69 ± 20 years) were observed. All participants attended at least one individual session of physiotherapy on the day this study was conducted. Physiotherapy sessions lasted 47.8 ± 7.6 minutes, with an average of 17.9 ± 6.9 minutes spent resting. The most frequently provided therapies were: gait training (10.8 ± 4.7 minutes per session); strength training (8.5 ± 7.0 minutes per session); and balance training (6.2 ± 3.6 minutes per session).

Conclusions:

In this sample of ambulant patients following stroke, inpatient physiotherapy rehabilitation focused on gait training, lower limb strengthening and balance training. Active therapy time was low and long rest periods with no prescribed activity were evident, which suggests therapy time is not optimally utilised in this population.