Background
Increased
therapy time and task-specific practice can improve functional recovery
post stroke. This observational study aimed to determine whether the
clinical implementation of circuit training increases therapy time and
improves function in stroke rehabilitation.
Methods
In
a retrospective clinical audit, medical records of 110 people (mean age
78.7, standard deviation 13.0, 49.1% male, 57.3% severe stroke)
admitted to a stroke inpatient rehabilitation ward were evaluated to
determine the differences between pre (Individual Therapy (IT), n = 55)
and post (Circuit Class Therapy (CCT), n = 55) service change
implementation. The primary outcome was the amount of time spent in
physiotherapy daily (minutes). Secondary outcomes included the
Functional Independence Measure (FIM) score and length of stay (LOS).
Results
The
CCT Group spent significantly more time in physiotherapy daily during
their rehabilitation LOS compared to the IT Group (mean difference 8.45
(95% CI 5.99 to 10.90) mins, p < 0.001). No significant between-group
differences were observed for FIM scores or LOS (p ≥ 0.066).
Conclusion
This
study suggests that the clinical implementation of CCT can
significantly increase therapy time by close to 9 minutes per session,
with functional gains that are equivalent to usual care. This was
achieved with a patient-to-staff ratio of 3:1, compared to the 1:1 ratio
in IT, concurring with existing evidence in support of CCT as an
alternative service delivery model for inpatient stroke rehabilitation.
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