Patient Perspectives on Transitions from Acute to Community-Based Physiotherapy Care Following Total Knee Replacement Surgery Within the Context of a Bundled Care Model

Abstract

Purpose: Research on fiscal implications of the bundled care (BC) model exist; however, patient-perceived experiences are less well known. As BC expands in Ontario, this study aims to examine these experiences with physiotherapy care within the total knee replacement (TKR) BC program. Methods: Qualitative cross-sectional study design. Semi-structured one-on-one telephone interviews were conducted with eight patients four to six weeks post-TKR. Thematic analysis was used. Results: This exploratory study identified three themes across the care journey that patients perceived as influencing their physiotherapy experiences: timely access to physiotherapy care, quality of physiotherapy care, and patient outcomes. Communication, clinical support, and social support were sub-themes. Conclusions: Patients’ overall experiences with BC physiotherapy were positive. Areas for improvement included coordination of postoperative physiotherapy and return-to-work support. Patients valued group settings and were interested in meeting previous TKR patients. Health system planners are advised to consider incorporating patient experiences when evaluating and developing BC programs to achieve patient-centred outcomes.