Development of clinical practice guidelines for rehabilitation after diagnosis for primary bone and soft tissue tumours.

Abstract

Background and aims: Clinical practice guidelines for rehabilitation in musculoskeletal oncology are lacking. Guidelines should include recommendation statements aimed at optimising care to enhance recovery and quality of life. The project aim was to provide a foundation of best practice based upon expert consensus and evidence.

Design: Consensus-based guidelines supported by systematic literature search.

Methods: This was a consensus-based guideline developed with the support of the British Sarcoma Group (BSG). A group of national rehabilitation experts working within bone or soft tissue sarcoma centres across the UK met from December 2019. Evidence was gathered from a narrative literature review. Recommendations were developed with a variety of stakeholders to achieve consensus.

Results: During the face to face consultation event and literature review seven themes were identified which should guide rehabilitation: (1) access to specialist Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) for treatment; (2) documented referral pathway for specialist AHP care; (3) assessment of individual issues, personal and multi-dimensional (holistic) needs; (4) patient centred care; (5) evidence-based rehabilitation treatment; (6) effective communication and provision of information; (7) patient support through access to other services.

Conclusions: Development of consensus-based, evidence-informed rehabilitation guidelines for those treated for primary malignant musculoskeletal tumours, provides rationale and evidence-based recommendations.