Safety of rehabilitation interventions for patients with hematologic diseases associated with low blood counts-verification focusing on blood cancer.
Takeshi Moriyama, Akiyoshi Takami, Misato Makino
PMID 34658521WHAT IT FOUND
Patients with low blood counts who were allowed to continue rehabilitation while admitted for hematologic disease had a shorter hospital stay than those whose rehabilitation was stopped.
Fever was more common, but no falls or fractures were reported.
Key findings
01Patients in the new criteria group had a significantly shorter hospital stay than patients in the discontinued group.
02No falls or fractures due to rehabilitation interventions were reported in either group, and fever was significantly more common in the new criteria group.
03Barthel Index scores at discharge were higher in the new criteria group, but the change from admission to discharge was not statistically significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was a retrospective record review, not a randomised trial, and the groups came from different time periods, so differences in patients, care, or hospital course could explain the results. The new criteria group included 99 patients who received chemotherapy and the discontinued group included 81, and this difference was significant, so chemotherapy-related factors could affect hospital stay and symptoms. Patients who died during the hospital stay were excluded: 26 in the first period and 22 in the second, so the results do not cover patients who died during the stay. The study did not consider disease characteristics or the type of chemotherapy. The change in Barthel Index from admission to discharge was not statistically significant, so daily living improvement is not established. Fever was significantly higher in the new criteria group.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that continuing rehabilitation after low blood counts makes hospital stays shorter or is safe. The study did not show that rehabilitation alone caused the shorter stay, the groups were not randomised, the new criteria group included 99 patients who received chemotherapy and the discontinued group included 81, and fever was significantly more common in the new criteria group.