Effectiveness Of Treatment Interventions And Loss To Follow-up For Patients Referred To Rehabilitation Medicine

Patients with musculoskeletal injuries have specific rehabilitation needs that necessitate delivery of exercise service and physical therapy and follow-up fitness management. PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions and patient data management feasibility in a department of rehabilitation medicine. METHODS: This retrospective study included patients from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. We reviewed medical records of patients with musculoskeletal injuries who referred to rehabilitation from Sep 2023 to Oct 2024, assessing the effectiveness of treatments and the status of follow-up. RESULTS: A Total of 35 patients were included, with an age of 36.03 ± 16.94 years (range: 5-69 years; 21 female vs 14 male). Among the patients, 13 had upper limb and 24 had lower limb injuries. The intervention included joint flexibility training, basic bed exercise, and strength training. Medical records included medical histories, rehabilitation goals, and assessment items (Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), muscle strength, joint flexibility, motor capability, and limb circumstance). Nine patients (26 %) presented for follow-up tests, and all of them had at least two follow-up tests. These 9 patients with follow-up were not demographically different than the others (36.33 ± 14.65 vs 35.92 ± 17.93 years old, 67 % vs 58 % female), had non-significant tendencies to stay in rehab for longer (6.39 ± 4.48 vs 3.46 ± 4.48 weeks, g = 0.66) and attended less frequently (2.47 ± 1.48 vs 2.36 ± 2.23 sessions/week, g = 0.05, p > 0.05). Reasons for loss to follow-up include transfer or discharge from the hospital (2), improved health (10), scheduling conflicts (6), and unknown (8). Those attending follow-up showed improved VAS scores (4.80 ± 1.48 vs 0.80 ± 0.84, g = 4, p < 0.001). Due to variability in patient conditions and injury sites, comprehensive statistical analysis was limited; however, post-assessment results indicated improvements in motor capability. CONCLUSIONS: Rehabilitation interventions following treatment or surgery are beneficial for patients with musculoskeletal injuries. Obtaining follow-up data was difficult due to challenges in keeping outpatients engaged. There is a need for enhanced rehabilitation compliance as well as comprehensive evaluations of treatments.