Proposed Topic (Most preferred): :
Clinical Safety and Quality Service III (Projects aiming at quality service to patients and their carers)
Proposed Topic (Second preferred): :
HA Young Investigators Session (Projects to be presented by HA staff who had joined HA for 10 years or less)
Authors (including presenting author) :
Cheung CH(1), Li KW(1), Mak YT(1), Leung WK(1), Ng KW(1), Lee WY(1), Chan WT(1), Chu TT(1), Lai PW (1), Lee TK(1), Lee YT(1), Ho OL(1), Chan MF(1), Wan S(1), Mak MY(1)
Affiliation :
(1) Physiotherapy Department, Tuen Mun Hospital, Hospital Authority
Introduction :
DWSOTS is a popular technology for use in stroke rehabilitation in inpatient settings. However, limited studies exist in such inpatient settings comparing DWSOTS with conventional training. As the first hospital within the Hospital Authority (HA) to acquire this technology, it is imperative to conduct an evaluation on its capabilities.
Objectives :
This study aimed to investigate the clinical effectiveness of DWSOTS on stroke clinical outcomes and gait kinematics.
Methodology :
Thirty-eight stroke patients were recruited from the Tuen Mun Hospital rehabilitation stroke unit and divided equally into intervention and control groups through convenience sampling. Both groups received 60-minute physiotherapy gym training. The control group received conventional physiotherapy, and the intervention group received 15-to-30-minute DWSOTS with conventional training for the remaining part of the session. Both groups were offered 5-day physiotherapy gym sessions. Primary outcome measures included the Modified Functional Ambulatory Category (MFAC), Elderly Mobility Scale (EMS), and Modified Rivermead Mobility Index (MRMI), while secondary outcome measures were the 10-meter walk test (10MWT), cadence, and fall efficacy in the intervention group.
Result & Outcome :
Both intervention and control groups showed significant improvement in MFAC (p<0.01), EMS (p<0.01) and MRMI (p<0.01). There was also significant improvement in 10MWT (p<0.01), cadence (p<0.01) and fall efficacy score (p<0.01) in the intervention group. Upon comparative analysis of the improvement between both groups, the intervention group demonstrated statistically more significant improvement in MFAC (p=0.03), EMS (p=0.049) and MRMI (p=0.036).
The application of DWSOTS has demonstrated significant improvements in fall efficacy, gait speed, and cadence. Both conventional training and the combination of DWSOTS with conventional training significantly improved EMS, MFAC, and MRMI scores, with the intervention group showing superior improvements.
