Authors (including presenting author) :
Pang CY(1), Chinn CT(1), Lam YHR(1), Yip HT(1), Lam PL(1), Tsang TC(2)
Affiliation :
(1) Physiotherapy Department, Queen Mary Hospital, (2) Department of Accident and Emergency, Queen Mary Hospital
Keyword 1: :
Reducing Patient Admission
Keyword 2: :
Physiotherapy Service in Emergency Medical Ward
Keyword 3: :
Queen Mary Hospital
Introduction :
Physiotherapy service is important in Emergency Medical Ward (EMW) as there is a significant portion of patients presenting with musculoskeletal (MSK) problems. We physiotherapists serve as gate keepers to provide early intervention to those patients to reduce hospital admission.
Objectives :
1. To evaluate the effectiveness of physiotherapy service in EMW 2. To compare the suggested and final destination of patients after intervention 3. To evaluate the readmission rate of patients after discharging from EMW
Methodology :
A retrospective data analysis of patients admitted to EMW Queen Mary Hospital from February to October in 2025 was studied. Diagnoses of patients were categorized into (1) low back pain, (2) knee, (3) ankle. Pretest-posttest design was used to evaluate the pre and post intervention effectiveness. Pain level was measured using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) in LBP, knee and ankle. Mobility was measured using the Modified Functional Ambulatory Category (MFAC) in all patients. The suggested destination on admission or home was also compared to the final destination.
Result & Outcome :
214 patients presented with the above MSK problems aged 17-99 were analyzed in the study. There was significant reduction in pain (p< 0.001, paired t-test) among patients with acute pain. The mean decrease in pain level was 1.11. The improvement of MFAC in all patients was 1.31 which is also significant (p< 0.001, paired t-test). 87.79% of the suggested destinations made by physiotherapists matched the final destination of them. The specificity of decision-making on the destination of patients reached 95%. The readmission rate within 72 hours was 1.4% in the study period.
