Authors (including presenting author) :
Cheung WK(1), Au TK(1), Choi WW(1), Fung YK(1), Hung KY(2), Lam HY(1), Ng MW(2), Tam CL(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Physiotherapy Department, IRS, TKOH
(2)Department of Surgery, TKOH
Introduction :
Varicose Veins (VV) are dilated tortuous superficial veins of lower limbs. Patients often complain of pain, heaviness and swelling which could be treated by operative or conservative means. Patients who planned for surgical intervention were previously referred for pre-operative physiotherapy service. However, no designated session was provided for pre-operative training. Besides, those opted for conservative treatment were not referred for physiotherapy management. To bridge this service gap, Varicose Vein Physiotherapy Program was established in January 2018 in which a designated physiotherapy team was formed to provide quality physiotherapy prehabilitation and rehabilitation to patients with operative or conservative needs.
Objectives :
To evaluate patients’ satisfaction on this program featuring active approach
Methodology :
All the referred cases for VV would attend 2 group sessions.
The first session: Assessment on disease severity, predisposing factors and skin condition. The class content included:
-Deliver knowledge on VV
-Educate lifestyle modification methods e.g lower limbs elevation, weight control advice
-Physiotherapist-led specific VV lower limbs exercise in group
-Introduce and practice Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) techniques for symptoms control
-Educate pressure stocking application and prescribe for indicated cases
The second session: Revision on the knowledge and group exercise, evaluation on patients’ satisfaction in the followings:
-Clearness of knowledge delivery
-Problem and treatment understanding
-Group exercise and MLD effectiveness
-Confidence in self-management of VV symptoms
Each aspect was rated with categorical answers: strongly agree; agree; neutral; disagree; strongly disagree.
Result & Outcome :
217 patients had attended the program from January 2018 to November 2019.
Satisfactory survey was collected with positive results found: 100% of the respondents strongly agreed or agreed that the program delivered clear VV knowledge; allowed them to understand their problems and corresponding treatment; benefited them with group exercise and MLD; allowed them to deal with VV more confidently.
Active approach was emphasized in this program instead of traditional passive treatment like pressure stockings application. Patients were more confident to self-manage their VV problems through practical session of MLD and group exercise in class. However, long term symptoms and self-management skills monitoring could not be achieved with limitation of manpower. In conclusion, patients were empowered with self-management skills and satisfied with our Varicose Vein Physiotherapy Program.
