Have your medical care providers recommended that you spend some time in a multispecialty inpatient rehabilitation center? Such referrals are often made when patients are being discharged from the hospital but aren't physically or medically prepared to function safely and independently at home. An inpatient rehab stay can offer these patients the care and therapy they need to regain a level of health, function and independence that makes them and their healthcare team confident in their ability to manage on their own. So what can you expect from a stay in a multispecialty inpatient rehab?
A Thorough Initial Evaluation
Initial evaluations are done on each patient admitted to inpatient rehab. They are performed by a physician-led multispecialty care team, comprised of rehabilitative professionals and medical specialists. These teams may include physicians, nurses and nursing staff that specialize in rehabilitative medicine, physical, occupational and speech therapists, nutritionists, care coordinators, counselors and social workers. At Rehab Select centers, this includes pain management professionals, wound care physicians, orthopedic specialists and behavioral experts. Evaluations are comprehensive, assessing the functional abilities and limitations of patients, their current health/medical status, their health/medical history and many other factors in order to identify their specific care, treatment and rehabilitative needs.
Individualized Care/Treatment Planning
Information from patients' medical care providers and the initial evaluation is used to formulate individualized care and treatment plans for each patient. These plans are comprehensive, designed to meet all recovery and rehabilitation needs identified during the initial assessment, and developed via collaboration between all members of the rehab center's multispecialty care team, the patient and, when applicable, family members, friends or caregivers who provide support to patients.
Intensive Rehabilitative Treatment and Comprehensive Care
Rehabilitative treatment in multispecialty inpatient rehab programs is intensive, as its goal is to help patients restore functional abilities and independence lost to illness, injury or another medical event as quickly as is safe and medically advisable. Patients can expect to receive a minimum of three hours of therapy daily, anywhere from 5 to 7 days per week. They can also expect 24 hour nursing care, personal care, medical care and medical monitoring according to their own personal needs and care plans. All care and therapy is administered by the rehab center's multispecialty care team, and is well-coordinated for efficiency and effectiveness.
Continual Evaluation of Patient Progress and Treatment Plan Effectiveness
Care teams meet regularly – typically at least once a week – to evaluate the progress of each patient in meeting their recovery and rehabilitation goals, as well as the effectiveness of treatment plans in promoting and supporting that progress. These assessments ensure that treatment plans and methods are adjusted as necessary to promote optimal patient outcomes.
A Comfortable, Relaxing and Supportive Environment
Last, but certainly not least, the environment you can expect to find in a Rehab Select facility or other top-quality multispecialty inpatient rehab program. While the above descriptions of the clinical aspects of rehab may give one an impression of a very institutional environment, that is not the case from the patient's perspective. Good rehab facilities work very hard to provide patients with a warm, friendly, home-like environment. That's because patients who feel comfortable and relaxed are much more likely to thrive in rehab, making their best possible recoveries in the shortest possible time.
