Comparison of the Therapeutic Alliance Indicators according to the Results of the Survey of Cardiosurgical Patients and their Physical Therapists

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine and compare the indicators of the therapeutic alliance based on the results of a survey of cardiac surgery patients and their physical therapists. Material and methods. The survey involved 100 patients (over 18 years old, without cognitive impairment) who underwent cardiac surgery. The Working Alliance Inventory questionnaire was used to assess the level of therapeutic alliance formation. The SF Hatcher Client form (which consists of 12 questions) was used for the patient. These questions were divided into three groups / domains: "goal items", "task items" and "bond items". The questionnaire was filled in on the seventh postoperative day. The SF Hatcher Client form, which consisted of 12 questions, was used for the patient. Intervention: before surgery, patients received a short consultation with a physical therapist regarding the goals and content of physical therapy, the algorithm for activation after surgery; the postoperative physical therapy protocol included early mobilization, therapeutic gymnastics, the use of respiratory physical therapy techniques, and therapeutic walking under the supervision of a physical therapist. Patients were provided with information and tasks on therapeutic walking, a small set of therapeutic exercises and breathing physical therapy for independent implementation. Results and discussion. The indicators of the therapeutic alliance between physical therapists and cardiac surgery patients confirmed its high level, both according to the results of the questionnaire survey of patients and the results of the survey of specialists. The "goal items" domain had the highest score in the patient's assessment of therapeutic alliance. Since the patient and specialist questionnaires had a different number of questions and a different maximum score, it was decided to make comparisons of the overall estimates of the level of therapeutic alliance after converting them to a percentage of the maximum. A significantly better overall score for the therapeutic alliance was established according to the results of the questionnaire survey of physical therapists: 87.5 (82.5; 95) % of the maximum versus 81.25 (66.67; 89.58) % of the maximum (p = 0.000). Conclusion. Physical therapists rated the therapeutic alliance for a higher score