Authors: (including presenting author): :
Cheung TM(1), Lo CW(1), Lai ST(1), Yip HT(1), Lam PL(1), Sim PY(2)
Affiliation: :
(1)Physiotherapy Department, Queen Mary Hospital (2) Division of Haematology Medical Oncology and Haemopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Queen Mary Hospital
Keyword 1: :
Physiotherapy
Keyword 2: :
Haemopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients
Keyword 3: :
Rehabilitation Programmed
Keyword 4: :
Strong Body Mind
Keyword 5: :
Five-year Outcomes
Introduction: :
Haemopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) often causes severe fatigue, stress and deconditioning. The Strong Body Mind Programme (SBMP) in Queen Mary Hospital is a physiotherapy-led pathway combining exercise and relaxation to support holistic care for HSCT recipients.
Objectives: :
To report five-year SBMP outcomes for physical function, fatigue, stress and quality of life.
Methodology: :
All HSCT recipients (2020–2024) were routinely referred to SBMP. Analysis included patients medically fit for mobilisation who completed at least six sessions; those who became unstable or were discharged earlier were excluded from analysis. SBMP provided pre-habilitation and post-HSCT rehabilitation with about two supervised sessions per week, focusing on strengthening, endurance, mobility and relaxation. Outcomes (handgrip strength, 5-times-sit-to-stand (5TSTS), 0–10 stress and fatigue scales, FACT-G7) were collected at baseline, first post-HSCT session and sixth session.
Result & Outcome: :
Over these five years, 472 HSCT recipients completed transplant; 347 patients with at least six SBMP sessions were analysed. They received 5,365 supervised sessions, averaging 9–13 sessions per patient. By the sixth session, group mean handgrip strength and 5TSTS performance were maintained or improved compared with baseline in every year. Statistically significant changes in handgrip strength over the three time points were seen in 2022–2024, and in 5TSTS in 2021, 2022 and 2024 (p≤0.04), reflecting an early post-HSCT decline followed by recovery in those years. Stress scores improved from baseline to the sixth session in all five years (all p≤0.02), with larger reductions in 2022–2024. Fatigue increased immediately after HSCT but decreased again by the sixth session each year (all p< 0.001), returning close to baseline in 2020–2022 and remaining more elevated in 2023–2024. FACT-G7 scores fell after HSCT and stayed significantly below baseline at the sixth session in all years (all p< 0.001), suggesting a small but persistent reduction in perceived well-being at 3–4 weeks. SBMP shows that a structured, physiotherapy-led body–mind rehabilitation model is feasible and can support recovery of function, reduce stress and partially control fatigue in medically stable HSCT recipients. Outcomes may underestimate difficulties in patients with severe complications who could not complete the programme. Further tailoring for complex transplants and longer-term follow-up are warranted.
