Abstract:
Background Over the last few years, the presence of physiotherapists in Palliative Care Units (PCU) has considerably
grown based on evidence from studies supporting the use of non-pharmacological measures as part of Palliative Care
(PC) treatments. However, more accumulated data are needed to definitively establish its added value. The present
study describes the type of patients receiving physiotherapy in a PCU and the benefits obtained in relation to their
degree of functional dependence.
Methods An observational, prospective, descriptive, practice-based study was undertaken involving patients
admitted to the PCU of Fundación Instituto San José (Madrid, Spain), who according to the PCU´s clinical practice,
met the criteria for physiotherapy intervention. Daily clinical practice was unchanged for study reasons. Participants
were assessed prior to initiating and at the end of the physiotherapy program using the following standard scales: the
Barthel Index, the Functional Ambulation Categories scale, the Palliative Performance Scale, and the Braden scale. A
descriptive analysis was performed and scale scores prior to and after treatment were compared using the Wilcoxon
signed-rank test....