Physical Therapist Intermountain Health West Jordan, Utah, United States
Research Objectives: To determine if patients who received the 4 tenants of combined decongestive therapy (CDT) and outcome tool data collection at every session were more likely to meet the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of the Lymphedema Life Impact Scale (LLIS).
Design: Patients were included if they attended two visits and were properly classified according to the primary treatment diagnosis. Charts were reviewed for accuracy of classification, collection of the LLIS each visit, meeting the MCID on the LLIS and utilization of the 4 tenants of CDT.
Setting: A retrospective chart review of patients who received outpatient lymphedema therapy across a healthcare system.
Participants: 170 patients with a primary treatment diagnosis of secondary lymphedema due to cancer between March 1, 2012 and May 31, 2022.
Interventions: Completion of comprehensive chart reviews to determine if the patient was correctly classified, if the 4 tenants of CDT were utilized, utilization of the outcome tool at each visit and if the MDIC was met.
Main Outcome Measures: If utilization of the 4 basic tenants of lymphedema care impacted patient's achieving the MCID on the LLIS.
Results: 170 charts were reviewed, 127 were accurately classified (74.7%). Utilizing only patients properly classified 53 had a successful outcome meeting the MCID (41.7%). Of the 53 successfully meeting the MCID, 31 episodes (58.5%) had compliance with utilizing the outcome tool at every visit. For the 53 patients who did meet the LLIS MCID, 14 received all 4 tenants of CDT during their course of care (26.4%) while 10 of the patients who did not meet the MCID received all 4 tenants (13.5%), X2 (1) = 3.35, p=.07.
Conclusions: There was a statistically significant different in meeting the MCID in patients receiving the 4 tenants of CDT care than those who did not. While not statistically significant, a higher percentage of successful clinical outcomes also were compliant with using the outcome tool at each visit. A high percentage of episodes of care in both groups did not adhere to best practice models.
Author(s) Disclosures: None
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion the participant will be able to understand how utilizing the four tenants of lymphedema care impact outcome measurements.
Upon completion the participant will be able to describe the importance of accurate classification of homogenous patient subgroups.
Upon completion the participant will be able to describe importance of meeting the MCID of the LLIS in lymphedema care.
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