Article

A pilot study to determine whether the use of a designated staff person to
coordinate and schedule therapy services in a postacute residential
rehabilitation program for people with acquired brain lesions results in (1) a higher-intensity treatment and a reduced length of stay ;
(2) reduced rehabilitation costs ; and (3) increased patient and staff satisfaction.
DESIGN: This nonrandomized retrospective study from 2009 through 2012 uses data collected
relative to 2 different methods of scheduling : (1) self-planning, in which each single team member makes appointments that are then displayed on a shared board ; and (2) managed planning, in which appointments are made by a designated staff
person. SETTING: A residential center for people with postacute acquired brain
lesions. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=20) with acquired brain lesions who had
similar clinical and demographic characteristics comprised the managed planning
group (n=10) and the self-planning group (n=10). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Organizational measures (length of stay in rehabilitation,
number of treatment hours, total cost of rehabilitation), clinical outcome scales
(Disability Rating Scale, FIM, and Barthel Index), perceived quality of treatment
by patients (questionnaire), and perceived satisfaction of team members (Job Descriptive Index). RESULTS: All patients improved on all clinical rating scales
at the time of discharge (all effect sizes are large). In the managed planning
group, the number of treatment hours increased (Cohen's d=2.15), resulting in
reduced length of stay (Cohen's d=.95) and cost of rehabilitation (Cohen's
d=1.22). In addition, the quality of treatment perceived by the patients and
their families increased, while team member satisfaction did not change.
CONCLUSIONS: The use of a designated staff person to manage therapy services
improves efficiency and efficacy of a patient-centered health care system. The
proposed scheduling system results in a remarkable cost saving for the National
Health System.
CI - Copyright (c) 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS