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Adapting to higher demands: using innovative methods to treat infants presenting with torticollis and plagiocephaly
Dominique Surprenant1, Sarah Milne, Katherine Moreau
1Rehabilitation Patient Service Unit, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
A new group therapy model for infant torticollis and plagiocephaly increased service capacity by 70% while maintaining treatment quality and reducing costs. This approach offers a cost-effective solution for managing increased referrals.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Physical Therapy
- Infant Health
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Increased referrals for torticollis/plagiocephaly due to "Back to Sleep" campaigns and improved recognition.
- Early intervention is crucial for infant outcomes, raising concerns about extended waitlists.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate a group-based, team service delivery model for infant torticollis/plagiocephaly.
- To assess the model's impact on therapist capacity, treatment outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and caregiver satisfaction.
Main Methods:
- Development and implementation of a group-based physiotherapy service model.
- Evaluation of the model compared to traditional individual treatment programs.
- Assessment of infant outcomes, therapist capacity, cost savings, and caregiver satisfaction.
Main Results:
- Therapist capacity increased by 70% with the group model.
- Equivalent treatment quality and achievement of discharge criteria were observed compared to individual therapy.
- Modest cost savings per child and high caregiver satisfaction were reported.
Conclusions:
- Group service delivery is a cost-effective and efficient model for managing increased torticollis/plagiocephaly referrals.
- This model maintains comparable treatment outcomes to individual therapy.
- The approach supports managing high referral volumes while ensuring patient satisfaction.
Purpose:
Referrals for torticollis/plagiocephaly have increased dramatically because of "Back to Sleep" campaigns and front-line staff becoming more proficient at recognition and referral to physiotherapy. These infants generally respond well to early intervention so longer waitlists raise concern about clinical outcomes due to delay.
Methods:
Therapists developed a group-based, team service delivery model based on best practices in individual treatment programs. The program was implemented and evaluated for assessment and treatment of infants presenting with these conditions, including caregiver satisfaction.
Results:
Compared with individual treatment, the group format enabled therapists to increase capacity to serve this population by 70%, with equivalent quality and achievement of discharge criteria, as well as a modest service cost saving per child. Caregiver questionnaires indicate satisfaction with the service.
Conclusions:
Group service delivery is a cost-effective and efficient way to manage increased referrals for torticollis/plagiocephaly while maintaining comparable treatment outcomes.
Video Abstract:
For more insights from the authors, see Supplemental Digital Content 1, available at http://links.lww.com/PPT/A64.
