Physiotherapy practice patterns for patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer: a survey of hospitals in Australia and New Zealand

Background: There has been a recent increase in the research available to guide physiotherapy management of patients who require surgical resection for lung cancer. It is unclear whether this evidence has influenced clinical practice. Aim: To describe physiotherapy practice patterns in the preoperat...

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Main Authors: Cavalheri de Oliveira, Vinicius, Jenkins, Susan, Hill, Kylie
Format: Journal Article
Published: Blackwell Publishing 2013
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/49638
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author Cavalheri de Oliveira, Vinicius
Jenkins, Susan
Hill, Kylie
author_facet Cavalheri de Oliveira, Vinicius
Jenkins, Susan
Hill, Kylie
author_sort Cavalheri de Oliveira, Vinicius
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Background: There has been a recent increase in the research available to guide physiotherapy management of patients who require surgical resection for lung cancer. It is unclear whether this evidence has influenced clinical practice. Aim: To describe physiotherapy practice patterns in the preoperative and postoperative management of patients who undergo surgical resection for lung cancer. Methods: Physiotherapists involved in the management of patients who require surgical resection for lung cancer at hospitals across Australia and New Zealand were mailed a purpose-designed questionnaire. Results: The response rate was 91% (43/47). Prior to surgery, 40% (n = 17) of the respondents indicated that patients were not assessed by a physiotherapist. In most hospitals (n = 39; 91%), patients did not participate in supervised exercise training before surgery. Most commonly, physiotherapy was commenced on the day following surgery (n = 39; 91%), with walking-based exercise being the treatment that was most frequently implemented in all patients (n = 40; 93%). Seventy-two per cent of respondents referred less than 25% of patients to pulmonary rehabilitation on discharge from hospital. Physiotherapy assessment and treatment choices were influenced predominantly by established practice in the hospital and personal experience rather than research findings. Conclusion: In people who undergo surgical resection for lung cancer, physiotherapy services focused on reducing or preventing postoperative pulmonary complications. Despite recent data suggesting that exercise training is beneficial in this population, our data indicate that referral to pulmonary rehabilitation was uncommon.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-496382017-09-13T15:41:23Z Physiotherapy practice patterns for patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer: a survey of hospitals in Australia and New Zealand Cavalheri de Oliveira, Vinicius Jenkins, Susan Hill, Kylie Background: There has been a recent increase in the research available to guide physiotherapy management of patients who require surgical resection for lung cancer. It is unclear whether this evidence has influenced clinical practice. Aim: To describe physiotherapy practice patterns in the preoperative and postoperative management of patients who undergo surgical resection for lung cancer. Methods: Physiotherapists involved in the management of patients who require surgical resection for lung cancer at hospitals across Australia and New Zealand were mailed a purpose-designed questionnaire. Results: The response rate was 91% (43/47). Prior to surgery, 40% (n = 17) of the respondents indicated that patients were not assessed by a physiotherapist. In most hospitals (n = 39; 91%), patients did not participate in supervised exercise training before surgery. Most commonly, physiotherapy was commenced on the day following surgery (n = 39; 91%), with walking-based exercise being the treatment that was most frequently implemented in all patients (n = 40; 93%). Seventy-two per cent of respondents referred less than 25% of patients to pulmonary rehabilitation on discharge from hospital. Physiotherapy assessment and treatment choices were influenced predominantly by established practice in the hospital and personal experience rather than research findings. Conclusion: In people who undergo surgical resection for lung cancer, physiotherapy services focused on reducing or preventing postoperative pulmonary complications. Despite recent data suggesting that exercise training is beneficial in this population, our data indicate that referral to pulmonary rehabilitation was uncommon. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/49638 10.1111/j.1445-5994.2012.02928.x Blackwell Publishing fulltext
spellingShingle Cavalheri de Oliveira, Vinicius
Jenkins, Susan
Hill, Kylie
Physiotherapy practice patterns for patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer: a survey of hospitals in Australia and New Zealand
title Physiotherapy practice patterns for patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer: a survey of hospitals in Australia and New Zealand
title_full Physiotherapy practice patterns for patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer: a survey of hospitals in Australia and New Zealand
title_fullStr Physiotherapy practice patterns for patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer: a survey of hospitals in Australia and New Zealand
title_full_unstemmed Physiotherapy practice patterns for patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer: a survey of hospitals in Australia and New Zealand
title_short Physiotherapy practice patterns for patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer: a survey of hospitals in Australia and New Zealand
title_sort physiotherapy practice patterns for patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer: a survey of hospitals in australia and new zealand
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/49638