Physical therapy needs for patients with physical function injuries post-earthquake disasters: A systematic review of Chinese and Western literature.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Over the last 500 years, the most earthquakes with 10,000 or more fatalities and the most overall fatalities have occurred in China. Physical therapists must develop a better understanding of the patient and injury types that they are likely to treat post-earthquake disasters. This systematic review of Chinese and Western literature identified the primary patients treated by physical therapists post-earthquake disasters for injuries that negatively impacted physical function, activity, and participation.

METHODS: Comparisons were made between reports of earthquakes in China and reports from the rest of the world combined.

RESULTS: Sixty-seven studies of 71,986 patients (51.8% male) at 40.6 ± 15 years of age were included. Studies were mostly prospective (n = 48, 71.6%). Reports of earthquakes in China represented more recently occurring disasters (p = .003) and more prospective research designs (p = .003). Reports from China also had a higher median fracture number (p = .004). Studies from China used manual muscle testing (p = .02), visual analogue pain scales (p = .008), Barthel index or modified Barthel index (p < .0001), and joint motion assessment (p = .007) with greater frequencies.

DISCUSSION: Physical therapists from China are more likely to treat patients with a fracture; however, physical therapists from both regions are likely to treat patients with general injuries representing poly-trauma to multiple body regions, traumatic brain-closed head injuries, spinal cord injuries, peripheral nerve injuries, and soft tissue injuries.

IMPLICATIONS ON PHYSIOTHERAPY PRACTICE: These data can help improve earthquake disaster planning, infrastructure development, and resource needs assessment effectiveness. More prospective research study designs and more recent earthquake disasters in China are likely associated with greater explicit use of valid and reliable outcome measurements such as joint motion assessment, manual muscle testing, visual analogue pain scale, and the Barthel index or modified Barthel index.