The relationship between duration of physical therapy services in the acute care setting and change in functional status in patients with lower-extremity orthopedic problems.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the relationship between the duration of physical therapy and functional status at discharge.


METHODS
The subjects were 173 inpatients, with a mean age of 67.9 years (SD = 20.5, range = 18-101), referred to physical therapy with lower-extremity orthopedic problems.


METHODS
For this retrospective cohort study, medical and physical therapy quality assurance records were used. Functional status, at initiation of and discharge from physical therapy, was measured using the Acute Care Index of Function (ACIF). The ACIF scores, which ranged from 0 to 100, were obtained from quality assurance records. The duration of physical therapy was the number of minutes of physical therapy billed to each patient, as determined from billing records.


RESULTS
Subjects received an average of 238.5 minutes of physical therapy (SD = 153.6, range = 15-1,110). Function improved an average of 15.4 points (SD = 17.0, range = -27.4 to 64.9), and the duration of physical therapy was an important predictor of functional status at discharge after controlling for age, length of hospitalization, number of diagnoses, and initial functional status.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides evidence that the amount of physical therapy that patients with some types of orthopedic problems receive is directly related to the functional improvement that occurs during hospitalization in an acute care setting.
Roach
K E
KE
Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Miami School of Medicine, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA. kroach@mednet.med.miami.edu
Ally
D
D
Finnerty
B
B
Watkins
D
D
Litwin
B A
BA
Janz-Hoover
B
B
Watson
T
T
Curtis
K A
KA
D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors