Patient Compliance With Physical Therapy Following Orthopedic Surgery and Its Outcomes

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Physical Therapy Adherence
• Patient Compliance

Background:

• Patient compliance significantly impacts physiotherapy efficacy post-orthopedic surgery.
• Non-compliance is a prevalent issue affecting treatment outcomes.
• Addressing non-compliance is essential for improving patient recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• Quantify patient compliance rates for physiotherapy after orthopedic surgery.
• Assess the association between compliance and patient health, mobility, and pain status.
• Identify key factors contributing to physiotherapy non-compliance.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 359 post-orthopedic surgery patients at King Khalid University Hospital.
• Data collected over one year using a questionnaire adapted from validated studies.
• Simple random sampling employed for participant selection.

Main Results:

• Overall self-reported compliance to physiotherapy was 64.3%.
• Younger patients (18-35) and single individuals were more likely to skip sessions due to feeling well or other responsibilities.
• Compliant patients demonstrated better health, pain, and mobility status.

Conclusions:

• A significant portion of patients exhibit non-compliance with post-orthopedic surgery physiotherapy.
• Patient demographics including age, gender, marital status, and education influence compliance.
• Improved patient status (health, pain, mobility) is linked to higher physiotherapy adherence.