Poster Presentation ANZTS Trauma 2024 Conference

Outcomes following intensive allied health therapy in the acute hospital for trauma patients (21583)

Lara A Kimmel 1 2 3 , Melissa Webb 2 , Doug McCaskie 2 , Mark Fitzgerald 4 5 6 7 8 , Val Maric 2 , Belinda Gabbe 9 10
  1. Department of Physiotherapy, The Alfred, Melbourne
  2. Allied Health Executive, The Alfred, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  3. School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
  4. School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
  5. National Trauma Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
  6. Trauma Service, The Alfred, Melbourne, Australia
  7. Department of Surgery, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
  8. School of Information Technology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia
  9. School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne
  10. Health Data Research UK, , Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, United Kingdom

The majority of patients hospitalised for trauma survive their injuries, with the quality of the survival potentially influenced by early acute hospital rehabilitation.  The aim of this study was to review the outcomes of patients managed under an intensive Allied Health Model of Care (AHMOC) compared to a baseline cohort.

Methods: The AHMOC was established in February 2020 on the Trauma ward at Alfred Health for 12 months. The baseline group included patients admitted to the trauma ward in 2019. All patients who were registered by either the Victorian Orthopaedic Trauma Outcomes Registry (VOTOR) or the Victorian State Trauma Registry (VSTR)The association between care group and outcomes were assessed using logistic (discharge destination, 12-month return to work) and linear (length of stay (LOS)) regression.

Results: There were 1644 in the baseline group and 1732 in the AHMOC group.  After accounting for confounders, the adjusted odds of discharge home and RTW at 12 months were 53% (AOR 1.53 95% CI 1.29, 1.82) and 65% (AOR 1.65 95% CI 1.24) higher for the AHMOC group compared to baseline, respectively.  There was also a 6% reduction in the LOS in the AHMOC group compared to baseline (Adjusted mean difference 6%; 95% CI (0.881, 0.999) p value = 0.050).

Conclusion: The availability of early and intensive allied health should be considered in the development of future trauma models of care and guidelines given these positive hospital based and 12 month outcomes.