Comparison of 6- and 7-day physical therapy coverage on length of stay and discharge outcome for individuals with total hip and knee arthroplasty

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 1998 Jul;28(1):15-22. doi: 10.2519/jospt.1998.28.1.15.

Abstract

Providing physical therapy service on Sundays is a much debated topic among hospital administrators. The purpose of this study was to determine if 7 days per week of physical therapy coverage results in shorter lengths of stay and differing discharge status than 6 days per week. A total of 140 subjects with hip or knee arthroplasty participated; there were 80 in the 6-day groups and 60 in the 7-day groups. Data on postoperative length of stay, discharge destination, and discharge disposition were collected by retrospective medical record review. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to test for differences in length of stay data, and the chi-squared test was used to test for differences in discharge disposition and discharge destination. No significant differences in postoperative length of stay, discharge destination, nor discharge disposition existed between the 6- and 7-day physical therapy coverage hip or knee arthroplasty groups. However, the power of the statistical tests applied was low. This study provides no evidence that 7-day per week physical therapy results in shortened postoperative length of stay, differing discharge destination, nor differing discharge disposition for patients undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip*
  • Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Length of Stay*
  • Male
  • Physical Therapy Modalities / methods*
  • Postoperative Care / methods*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Treatment Outcome