Ann Physiother Clin | Volume 3, Issue 1 | Research Article | Open Access
Oostendorp RAB, Elvers JWH, Trijffel E Van, Rutten GM, Scholten-Peeters GGM, De Kooning M, Laekeman M, Nijs J, Roussel N and Samwel H
Scientific Institute for Quality of Healthcare, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Netherlands Department of Manual Therapy, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium Pain in Motion International Research Group, Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Vrije Univeristiet Brussel, Brussels, Belgium Practice of Physiotherapy and Manual Therapy, Heeswijk-Dinther, The Netherlands Department of Public Health and Research, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands Methodological Health-Skilled Institute, Beuningen, The Netherlands SOMT University of Physiotherapy, Amersfoort, The Netherlands School of Health Studies, HAN University of Applied Science, Nijmegen, The Netherlands Campus Venlo, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands Department of Human Movement Sciences, Facultty of Behaviuoral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Aamsterdam Movement Sciences, The Netherlands Department of Nursing Sciences, Ph.D.-Kolleg, Faculty of Health, University Witten/Herdecke, Witten, Germany Department of Physiological Psychology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany Department of Physical Medicine and Physiotherapy, University Hospital Brussels, Brussels, Belgium Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, Ph.D.-Kolleg, Faculty of Health, University Witten/ Herdecke, Witten, Germany Revalis Pain Rehabilitation Centre‘s, Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
*Correspondance to: Oostendorp RAB
Fulltext PDFBackground: From both evidence-based physiotherapy care and cost perspective, it is important that the duration of treatment episode and the number of physiotherapy sessions in traffic collisionrelated Whiplash Associated Disorders (WAD) is tailored to the patient and can be prognosticated. However, little is known about the accuracy of physiotherapists’ estimation and the associations between the duration of care episodes, number of sessions, and patients’ perceived recovery. Aim: To investigate whether physiotherapists can accurately estimate the duration of a physiotherapy care episode and the number of physiotherapy sessions in relation to the actual duration and number of sessions, and to relate these factors to patient-reported recovery. Methods: Data were collected over a period of 10 years in two primary care physiotherapy practices in the Netherlands. The duration of estimated and actual physiotherapy episodes in months was divided into four categories and the number of sessions allocated to one of five categories. All patients were assigned to one of the six-time phases of the Quebec Task Force WAD, and were allocated to one of the three prognostic profiles for recovery. Patients were asked to complete the outcome measure ‘perceived recovery’. Agreement was calculated between estimated and actual treatment episode and number of physiotherapy sessions. Spearman’s coefficients (rs ≥ 0.25 acceptable association) were calculated to explore associations between care-related outcomes and patient-reported outcomes. P value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A consecutive sample of 523 patients was included. Clinical estimates were in line with theactual physiotherapy episode and the number of sessions in approximately 60% to 70% of patients. Associations between clinically estimated and actual physiotherapy episode and number of sessions were fair (rs =0.37; P0.05). Conclusion: Physiotherapist can adequately estimate the physiotherapy episode and the number of sessions in patients with WAD for setting time-contingent treatment goals and expecting recovery. No significant associations were found between care-related outcomes and patient-reported recovery outcome.
Whiplash-associated disorders; Physiotherapy; Clinical reasoning; Clinical experience; Care-related outcomes; Patient-reported outcomes
Oostendorp RAB, Elvers JWH, Trijffel E, Rutten GM, Scholten-Peeters GGM, Kooning M, et al. Differences between Physiotherapists Estimated and Actual Care Episodes and Number of Sessions, and Associations between Care-Related and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Patients with Whiplash Associated Disorder. Ann Physiother Clin. 2021; 3(1): 1013..