Authors (including presenting author) :
Cheuk NL (1), Lam HK (1), Tsui YC (1), Tang LM (1)
Affiliation :
(1) Department of Physiotherapy, Prince of Wales Hospital
Keyword 1: :
Pre-operative physiotherapy
Keyword 2: :
Group therapy
Keyword 4: :
Exercise compliance
Introduction :
Pre-operative physiotherapy evidently reduces post-operative pulmonary complications and
accelerates recovery. Current practices predominantly involve one-on-one sessions focusing
on breathing and coughing exercises, as well as strategies for preventing venous
thromboembolism. Nevertheless, with surging patient demand, the current practice is deemed
too time-consuming and inefficient, compromising time available for other patients.
Furthermore, hospitals are equipped with more smart devices that could be made good use of
to deliver effective and efficient education. Therefore, reformation of the pre-operative
physiotherapy service is inevitable.
Objectives :
This enhancement project aims to improve service-delivery efficiency in pre-operative
physiotherapy and promote exercise compliance among surgical patients.
Methodology :
Beginning in December 2025, all surgical patients who are referred for “pre-operative
physiotherapy” in the Prince of Wales Hospital will participate in the reformed physiotherapy
session. Patients who are cognitively, visual or hearing impaired, or non-Cantonese speakers
are excluded. During the session, the physiotherapist would utilize video education delivered via tablet,
which introduces proper breathing and coughing techniques, the usage of incentive
spirometry, ankle and toes exercise, and the wearing of TED stockings for venous
thromboembolism prevention. It would be followed by a quick review by physiotherapist to
ensure proper breathing and coughing techniques, along with the effective use of incentive
spirometry, supported by a QR code and leaflet for revision. Outcomes will be evaluated through calculation on the time reduction of physiotherapists in
delivering sessions, as well as conducting patient surveys assessing video content,
educational usefulness, and exercise adherence on post-operative day 3.
Result & Outcome :
A total of 34 patients were eligible in the enhancement project, with 1 subject dropped out due
to rescheduled operation date. Results showed a significant improvement in service-delivering efficiency by 70%
enhancement. Compared to spending an average of 20 minutes per case in usual practice,
an average of 6 minutes per case is required after reformation. In terms of exercise compliance, 89% of compliance rate was recorded post-operatively. With
regards to the video content, 92.9% of patients found the material concise and helpful, citing
clarity in the exercises demonstrated. The reformation of the pre-operative physiotherapy service could remarkably enhance
efficiency of service delivery and patient exercise compliance after operation.
