Provision of Health Promotion Information by Physiotherapists to In-Patients in a Tertiary Hospital: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Purpose: The provision of health promotion information is an important part of the management of hospitalised patients. Allied health practitioners are often involved in the provision of this information. No studies appear to have documented the rate of provision of health promotion material by physiotherapists to hospitalised patients. The aim of this pilot study was to measure the frequency with which health promotion information was provided to in-patients by physiotherapists and to evaluate patients’ perception of the effectiveness of this information. Method: Retrospective medical record audits and follow-up telephone interviews were undertaken over an 18 month period for patients who fell into one of the following four diagnostic groups: total hip arthroplasty (THA), after upper limb lymph node biopsy/removal and therefore at risk of upper limb lymphoedema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or accidental fall requiring admission to hospital. Results: 63 patients participated in the medical record audits and 50 participated in the telephone interviews. The medical record audits revealed that 64% of patients were provided with some health promotion information during their hospitalisation. From the telephone interviews, 88% of patients indicated that they were happy with the information they had received. However, the rate of provision of health promotion material was significantly lower for patients with COPD or those admitted after a fall. Conclusions: While the overall level of provision of health promotion material by physiotherapists was satisfactory, provision of this material to COPD patients and those admitted after a fall needs to become part of physiotherapists’ standard clinical practice.