“What is the impact of the High Acuity Physiotherapy Intervention (HAPI) role in supporting weekend staff in the delivery of patient care?”
Franziska Eppler1, Meg Harrold, Carol Watson 1East Metropolitan Health Service
Abstract
The high acuity physiotherapy intervention (HAPI) role was implemented in January 2022 as part of the weekend physiotherapy service at Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) following increased on-boarding of mostly junior staff in response to increased demand and patient acuity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The HAPI role was modelled off the well-established roles of the ‘staff development nurse’ and the ‘critical care outreach nurse’, roles that are universally identified as providing expert support in complex patient care, development of clinical capability and confidence and providing technical expertise. The HAPI role was evaluated over a 3-month period, utilising a combined mixed methods approach of survey responses and focus groups. The survey indicated that almost 50% of staff were requesting support from the HAPI on their weekend shift and that 57% of these requests for support were to assist with management of a complex clinical case. The main themes identified from the focus group analysis was that the HAPI provides access to clinical expertise, provides learning opportunities and upskilling, provides a central weekend leadership role and improves the anxiety and wellbeing of weekend staff. With health service needs shifting further towards Monday to Sunday rather than Monday to Friday only, the HAPI supports the demand for delivery of high quality care over a 7-day service, as well as supporting the needs and well-being of junior physiotherapists working in acute care.
Biography
I started working at Royal Perth Hospital in 2015 – a month following graduation from university. I have personally experienced the transition from new graduate to junior physiotherapist to senior physiotherapist. I have first-hand seen how the demands on new physiotherapists have changed in acute care and the transition of health to a seven-day service. Additional to my time at Royal Perth Hospital, I spent one and a half years living in London – working in Respiratory and Intensive Care during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, witnessing healthcare change drastically and rapidly to meet the demands of the pandemic.