Authors (including presenting author) :
Lam TWY, Kwong CKK, Lam CPY, Tse ATK, Chao CYL, Leung CYY
Affiliation :
Physiotherapy Department, Princess Margaret Hospital
Keyword 1: :
Breast Cancer
Keyword 2: :
Physiotherapy
Keyword 3: :
Post-operative
Introduction :
Breast cancer (CAB) patients may experience long-term functional impairments following breast surgery and treatment, including reduced shoulder mobility, lymphoedema, decreased strength and endurance. Patient education provides positive reinforcement to self-care behaviors, helps patients prepare for long term challenges and enhances their ability to cope with functional impairments. A Breast Cancer Rehabilitation Program, combining face-to-face pre- and post-operative physiotherapy management with extended rehabilitation, has been offered to breast cancer patients since August 2024. To further consolidate patients’ knowledge and enhance self-efficacy, a new single-session educational talk on physiotherapy management after CAB surgery was implemented in March 2025. The talk incorporated active interaction and was delivered through the HA Go Telehealth platform. It was conducted monthly, with each session lasting one hour. The content covered post-surgery care for shoulder joints, scar management and lymphoedema prevention. Patients who are HA Go enablers would be enrolled for the telehealth talk.
Objectives :
To assess the effectiveness of the telehealth educational talk among post-operative breast cancer patients in knowledge consolidation, enhanced self-efficacy, prevention of long-term complications, and overall patient satisfaction with the telehealth delivery method.
Methodology :
Post-operative breast cancer women who attended physiotherapy out-patient training at PMH from March to November 2025 were recruited to participate in a one-hour single-session telehealth educational talk. A structured 10-item patient satisfaction survey on evaluating the usefulness of the educational content and the telehealth delivery mode was administered through Google Forms upon completion of the talk. The survey evaluated demographics, ease of telehealth access, technical issues encountered, perceived educational effectiveness, and overall satisfaction. A subsequent post-discharge telephone follow-up was conducted to evaluate the exercise compliance, knowledge retention and self-reported post operative problems.
Result & Outcome :
Fifty patients participated in the telehealth breast cancer educational talk, and 43 of them (mean age: 57.5 years) completed the satisfaction survey. Majority of participants (90.9%) expressed that the educational talk on lymphoedema was effective, and 81.8% reported increased motivation to participate in therapeutic exercises. The overall satisfaction was reported by 88.6% of respondents. Despite the older age profile, only 30.2% of participants required assistance to access Telehealth platform. Additionally, 81.8% agreed that telehealth was an effective mode of physiotherapy follow-up, demonstrating good acceptance and sustainability of this service model. During the telephone follow-up, 39 out of 43 participants were successfully reached. Among them, 79% of respondents reported the continuation of home exercise and 81% reported the awareness of post-operative complications, suggesting positive impact of telehealth physiotherapy in supporting patient education and empowerment. 2 of 39 respondents reported experiencing persistent shoulder joint stiffness. Participants regarded the telehealth educational talk as an effective means to consolidate knowledge, enhance self-efficacy, and prevent long term complications following breast cancer surgery. The telehealth delivery mode is well-accepted and may serve as a suitable adjunct to conventional physiotherapy follow-up.
