Please login to view this media
- Talk
- UK
Rehabilitation Following Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Survey of Publicly Available Information Sheets
Description
In a presentation held by media specialists at The Royal Derby Hospital, Marie Morgan discussed their collective research on rehabilitation following shoulder arthroplasty, alongside her colleague Lisa Pitt and Chris Littlewood from Manchester. The study aimed to evaluate current NHS practices in the UK by analyzing publicly available information sheets regarding rehabilitation strategies for patients after shoulder surgery, particularly due to increasing cases of glenohumeral joint arthropathies.
Their systematic review revealed a significant lack of quality evidence pre-2018 to guide effective rehabilitation, prompting the current study focused on identifying existing rehabilitation protocols. Electronic searches across 152 acute NHS Trusts resulted in 43 information sheets from 40 trusts, primarily covering general arthroplasty practices without distinguishing between different types of procedures or rehabilitation approaches.
The findings highlighted wide variations in recommended rehabilitation techniques, particularly regarding immobilization duration, exercise commencement, and return-to-work guidelines. Key statistics indicated that the average immobilization time reported was around four weeks, although practices varied significantly. The discussion stressed the necessity for solid future research, possibly through randomized clinical trials, to establish standardized rehabilitation protocols that could better serve diverse patient needs and potentially improve recovery outcomes.