Implementing Standard Physical Therapy Guidelines With Patients Acutely After Single or Bilateral Lung Transplant: A Quality Improvement Project in the Hospital Setting

Abstract

Purpose: A quality initiative assessed standardized physical therapy (SPT) with lung transplant (LT) recipients in the hospital setting. The objective was to improve physical function evidenced by 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) and 30-second chair stand test (30s-CST). Methods: Standardized physical therapy was implemented with patients who underwent LT after March 8, 2021. Data were collected from July 19, 2019 to July 23, 2020 as baseline measures. Six-minute walk distance and 30s-CST were measured after hospital discharge. Results: After data collection, statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and a 2-sample t test with P-value <.05. The baseline group (BG) consisted of 19 patients that participated in traditional physical therapy (PT). The BG mean 6MWD was 891 feet, and mean 30s-CST was 4 repetitions. The SPT group consisted of 25 patients. The SPT group demonstrated a mean 6MWD of 1054 feet with a P-value of 0.0299 and mean 30s-CST of 7 repetitions with a P-value of 0.078. Conclusions: All functional outcome measures improved, with the 6MWD demonstrating statistical significance. Hospitalized LT recipients may demonstrate improved physical function with SPT; however, limited conclusions can be made.