5 Things to Know about Acute Care Rehab and its Staff
Higher Education Articles August 20, 2013The responsibilities of the hospital staffs are to help patient recover from illness and traumatic conditions through medical care and acute care rehabilitation to allow the patient to return home and to a normal productive life. The team members involved in the process of delivering care is educated to work in coordination with developing and delivering a plan of care that addresses the patient’s needs in the recovery process.
Acute care rehabilitation is necessary for a large portion of the patient population and includes almost every aspect of patient wellness from performing daily tasks to reacquiring physical and speech abilities. The team members in acute care rehabilitation include doctors, nurses, therapist and assistants who all have specific responsibilities to assure the progression of recovery from illness and trauma.
Acute Care Rehabilitation Facts
•Goal – Acute care rehabilitation is in place for patients who are ready to take on the hard work of recovering from illness and trauma. These patients may not be ready for discharge to their homes, but their physical condition allows them to work harder in the recovery process in a controlled hospital or inpatient setting. They do not require more transitional care that restricts the rehabilitation process such as dependence on medical devices such as ventilator units or require the care of skilled or intensive nursing care.
•Staff – The acute care rehabilitation team members will consist of licensed professional such as doctors, nurses, physical rehabilitation therapists, occupational rehabilitation therapists, speech rehabilitation therapists, as well as ancillary staff who will assist in every aspect of care and administration.
•Occupational Therapy – This type of rehabilitation will assure that the patient will learn or relearn the abilities vital to daily functions, as well as develop the muscles and strength required to perform certain tasks. Patients requiring this type of therapy will range from victims of stroke to trauma, both of which may cause the patient to lose the ability to perform certain tasks.
•Physical Therapy – Physical rehabilitation assures that the patient will develop strength and conditioning in specified areas. This will include increasing the range of motion in joints that have been compromised, strengthening muscles and learning balance. Physical rehabilitation will also include instruction in the use of orthopedic devices and wound care instruction.
•Speech Therapy – Speech therapists address communication, as well as swallowing difficulties. They will work with patients who have primarily suffered some type of brain injury or stroke to relearn verbal communication, as well as develop the ability to swallow food and drink of different consistencies without risking aspiration of food or fluid into the lungs, which may cause choking, pneumonia or other issues.
The team members in acute care rehabilitation work together to assure that a plan is in place to recover the functional abilities that may have been lost or encumbered by illness or trauma. They work together to develop a plan of action that will allow the patient to progress from inpatient acute care rehabilitation to outpatient rehabilitation. The acute care rehabilitation staff will work with the patient’s family to assure that all the patient’s needs are met and everyone vital to the success of recovery learns the skills needed to assist the patient along the journey to recovery.
