Physiotherapy Resource Allocation for Acute In-Patient Services: Getting It Right Requires Measuring It Right

Purpose: To address the demands of an aging patient population, hospitals must embark on service model redesign. This study tests the hypothesis that an aging population requires increased physiotherapy (PT) and describes evolving patient demographics and PT workload to inform recommendations on resource adjustments to meet the needs of older adults admitted to medicine in-patient units. Methods: This was a mixed-methods study including a retrospective review of Medical Records and Workload Measurement System to compare patient characteristics and PT workload in 2018 and 2022, with focus groups to contexualize data. Results: The number of in-patients receiving PT services in 2018 and 2022 did not change. Significant increases were seen in average PT service hours provided per day (17.1 vs. 25.0 hours) and per patient (3.43 vs. 4.76 hours). The average number of PT interactions per patient increased (7.16 vs. 9.15), as did the number of patients requiring multiple PT interactions per day (51% of patients in 2018 vs. 58% in 2022). Statistically significant increases were seen in mean patient age (77 vs. 78 years) and median length of stay (7.8 vs. 9.7 days). Conclusion: This study provides metrics demonstrating that despite stable patient volumes, in-patient care needs increased.