Ni Luh Putu Eka Arisanti, Ida Ayu Jasminarti Dwi Kusumawardani, Ni Wayan Candrawati, Gede Oky Aryanthana, Pande Made Andikayasa, Pande Made Budi Wadantha

The role of chest physiotherapy in clinical and laboratory improvement and length of hospital stay among patients with non-severe community-acquired pneumonia at Ngoerah Hospital, Bali, Indonesia

Introduction

The role of chest physiotherapy in clinical and laboratory improvement and length of hospital stay among patients with non-severe community-acquired pneumonia at ngoerah hospital, bali, indonesia. Evaluate chest physiotherapy's impact on non-severe community-acquired pneumonia patients. Findings reveal it significantly shortened hospital stay, though clinical and laboratory parameters remained unaffected.

Abstract

Introduction: Pneumonia remains a major cause of hospitalization worldwide, with timely management essential to reduce mortality. In addition to empirical antibiotic therapy, adjuvant measures such as chest physiotherapy may optimize outcomes by facilitating alveolar exudate clearance and improving pulmonary diffusion. This study evaluated the effect of chest physiotherapy on clinical improvement, laboratory parameters, and hospital stay in patients with non-severe community-acquired pneumonia. Methods: A quasi-experimental, two-group pre–post intervention study was conducted at Ngoerah Hospital from July to September 2024. The intervention group received standard therapy plus chest physiotherapy, while the control group received standard care alone. Results: Chest physiotherapy was not significantly associated with clinical improvements in Borg scale scores (p = 1.00), respiratory rate (p = 0.831), peripheral oxygen saturation (p = 0.197), or body temperature (p = 0.824) compared with the control group. Laboratory parameters also showed no significant difference (p = 0.473). However, chest physiotherapy significantly reduced hospital stay, with patients in the intervention group being 24.7 times more likely to experience shorter hospitalization compared with controls (p = 0.010). Conclusion: Chest physiotherapy shortened hospital stay in patients with non-severe community-acquired pneumonia but did not significantly affect clinical or laboratory parameters.

Review

This paper investigates the potential benefits of chest physiotherapy (CPT) as an adjuvant treatment for non-severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), a condition that remains a significant cause of hospitalization globally. The study aimed to evaluate CPT's effect on clinical and laboratory parameters, as well as the length of hospital stay, a pertinent area of inquiry given the continuous search for optimal management strategies beyond standard antibiotic therapy. The topic is highly relevant for improving patient outcomes and healthcare resource utilization in managing pneumonia. Using a quasi-experimental pre–post intervention design at Ngoerah Hospital, the research compared an intervention group receiving standard therapy plus CPT against a control group receiving standard care alone. The findings indicated that CPT did not significantly improve clinical parameters such as Borg scale scores, respiratory rate, peripheral oxygen saturation, or body temperature. Similarly, no significant differences were observed in laboratory parameters between the two groups. However, the study reported a statistically significant reduction in hospital stay for the intervention group, who were found to be 24.7 times more likely to experience shorter hospitalization compared to controls. While the reported reduction in hospital stay is a potentially impactful finding, the abstract presents a critical methodological issue: the stated study period of "July to September 2024" indicates that the research has yet to be conducted. This temporal discrepancy fundamentally compromises the validity and interpretability of the results presented. Assuming this is a significant typographical error and the study has, in fact, been completed, the observed disconnect between a reduced length of stay and the lack of improvement in other clinical or laboratory markers requires further investigation into potential mechanisms or unmeasured factors influencing discharge decisions. Future, rigorously designed randomized controlled trials, accompanied by cost-effectiveness analyses and a clear explanation of such temporal discrepancies, would be necessary to confirm these preliminary findings and provide actionable clinical guidance regarding the role of CPT in non-severe CAP.

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