Influence of Physical Therapy Frequency on AMPAC Scores and Hospital Discharge Disposition: A Pilot Study

Abstract

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> To investigate if there was an association between physical therapy (PT) frequency and discharge location for subjects who were admitted to the cardiovascular service line and had an AMPAC score between 12 and 17 at PT initial evaluation. <h3>Design</h3> This was a retrospective chart review study. Subjects were stratified by whether they remained on or transferred off CV-SL during hospitalization. Subjects were divided by frequency of PT visits: ≥0.57 or < 0.57, with the cutoff determined as 4 visits over 7 days. Statistical analysis included a Chi-square analysis to look for an association between frequency of PT visits and discharge location and paired t-tests. <h3>Setting</h3> The setting was a tertiary care hospital. <h3>Participants</h3> Ninety-nine subjects (mean age=77.33 years, 54 males) were included. Inclusion criteria included ≥18 years of age, admitted between January 1 and March 30, 2019, and an AMPAC score between 12 and 17 at PT initial evaluation. <h3>Interventions</h3> Not applicable as this was a retrospective chart review. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> The main outcome measure used was the Boston University AM-PAC "6 clicks" Basic Mobility Short Form. <h3>Results</h3> Twenty-six subjects received ≥0.57 PT visits throughout their hospitalization. There was no significant association between PT visit frequency and discharge location (X2 = 3.75, p=0.29). There was a statistically significant difference in AMPAC score between PT initial evaluation and last PT visit for patients receiving ≥0.57 PT visits (t=-6.23, p=0.000) and those who received < 0.57 visits (t=-3.29, p=0.002). Subjects who received ≥0.57 PT visits had a greater increase in mean AMPAC score (3.04) compared to subjects who received < 0.57 visits (1.80). <h3>Conclusions</h3> There was not an association between frequency of PT visits and discharge location. This could be due to a small sample size, with an uneven distribution of subjects between frequency groups and discharge locations. There was a difference in AMPAC scores from PT initial evaluation to last PT visit in the positive direction, indicating functional improvement. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> I have no financial disclosures or conflicts of interest to disclose.