Pre-operative physiotherapy following unilateral ankle fractures at a tertiary hospital in South Africa: Perceptions of patients and nurses.
Sabeeha Dangor, Prithi Jayaraman-Pillay, Stacy Maddocks and 1 others
PMID 33604479WHAT IT FOUND
Patients and nurses valued pre-operative physiotherapy for building confidence and independence while waiting for ankle surgery.
Fear, pain, and staff shortages were key barriers. Participants requested more education on surgery and recovery timelines, plus daily monitoring to maintain motivation.
Key findings
01Patients reported that pre-operative physiotherapy improved their safety and self-confidence, enabling them to perform daily activities independently.
02Fear of falling and pain were identified as primary intrinsic and extrinsic barriers to engaging with the pre-operative rehabilitation programme.
03Participants recommended that future physiotherapy should include more detailed education about the surgery and recovery process, along with regular monitoring.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted in a single tertiary hospital in South Africa, so findings may not apply to other healthcare settings. Participants were limited to patients aged 18–50 years with specific fracture types, excluding those with multiple fractures or pre-existing mobility issues. The sample size was small (8 patients, 7 nurses), which limits the generalisability of the themes. All participants were black South Africans, which may limit the transferability of findings to other cultural or demographic groups.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the reported benefits, such as reduced pain or improved confidence, as proven clinical outcomes of the intervention. These are the subjective perceptions of a small group of participants in a qualitative study, not measured effects from a controlled trial.