Most Proposed Topic :
HA Young Investigators Session (projects to be presented by and HA staff who had joined HA for less than 15 years)
Proposed Topic (Second preferred): :
Enhancing Partnership with Patients and Community (Projects initiated to engage patient and improve patient communication)
Authors: (including presenting author): :
Wong ALY (1), Lam CCS(1), Leung AKY(1), Louie FTM(1)
Affiliation: :
(1) Occupational Therapy Department, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital, Hong Kong
Introduction: :
A study was previously conducted in the Occupational Therapy Department (OTD) of Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital, proven that the hybrid program, which includes 1 telehealth group education session in addition to traditional face-to-face sessions, effectively improves symptoms and hand function of patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).
Objectives: :
This study aims to further explore the effectiveness of a clinical pathway with streamlined follow-up sessions utilizing telehealth for CTS patients.
Methodology: :
The clinical pathway involves an initial face-to-face session at the OTD for assessment and splint fabrication. Subsequent sessions, which would typically be conducted in person, are replaced by telehealth sessions, focusing on monitoring patient progress, providing education, and guiding patients through home-based exercises. To be eligible for recruitment in this study, CTS patients must have been referred to the OTD and be capable of using “Zoom”.
Since June 2022, a total of six patients completed the program and were included as part of this prospective study. Additionally, six patients who had completed the hybrid program were recruited as the control group. Pre- and post-program outcomes were measured, including Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) on numbness, Phalen’s test in seconds, Symptoms Severity Scale (SSS), and Functional Status Scale (FSS). To assess the effectiveness of the pathway and compare it with the control group, Wilcoxon signed rank test and Mann-Whitney U test were conducted. The significance level was set at p< 0.05.
Result & Outcome: :
Outcomes in the experimental group were improved. Findings revealed statistically significant improvements in Phalen's test in seconds (8.83” vs. 35.50”, p = 0.04) and SSS scores (2.32 vs. 1.98, p = 0.04). The improvements observed in NPRS on numbness (5.50 vs. 3.83, p = 0.27) and FSS scores (1.82 vs. 1.68, p = 0.22) did not reach statistical significance. There was no significant difference in the outcome between experimental and control groups: NPRS (p = 0.65), Phalen’s test in seconds (p = 0.93), SSS score (p = 0.39), and FSS score (p = 0.18).
The findings demonstrate that this clinical pathway can be equally beneficial to CTS patients as the hybrid program. Additionally, this clinical pathway offers potential benefits such as efficient resource utilization, convenience, and easily accessible to both patients and clinical practitioners. These benefits suggest that it is a promising approach that warrants further research with a larger sample size and to explore the long-term effects of this innovative approach.
