2018 Volume 7 Issue 1 Pages 17-23
We investigated the practice of physical therapy for patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in Japan. In June 2014, questionnaires were sent to physical therapists in 65 hospitals to survey the standard practice of physical therapy for patients who underwent allo-HSCT. The questionnaires consisted of 22 items, including the patient’s condition which made it difficult to decide whether to apply physical therapy and how the therapists managed this decision, and how they learned about physical therapy in allo-HSCT and the anxiety they felt regarding their knowledge in this area. The response rate was 75% (49 hospitals). Twenty-one items, including fever, nausea, and vomiting, were suggested as patient conditions that often required difficult decisions for physical therapists to practice physical therapy, and some hospitals established rules for these conditions. In addition, many physical therapists felt anxious about their knowledge regarding physical therapy in allo-HSCT. These findings suggest that we should develop standard guidelines for effectively performing physical therapy in patients who have undergone allo-HSCT.
