Creating a Maintenance Program for Rehab in House Patients: A Doctoral Capstone Report

Abstract

Local safety-net hospital rehabilitation therapists are faced with the challenge of rehabilitating patients to home without any funding. This process requires extensive collaboration across an interdisciplinary team to determine discharge disposition. The therapists have identified a gap in programming for the Rehab in House patients. The patients admitted to the local safety-net hospital that are identified as Rehab in House have no established routine and poor carryover of tactics outside of therapy. The capstone student worked with identified stakeholders across the hospital to develop a maintenance program with additional resources for use during the inpatient stay. The maintenance program addressed schedules and mobility to help prevent hospital-acquired debility during prolonged hospitalizations. The capstone project was evaluated through a mixed methods approach. Project success was determined through percent change of pre- and post-survey questions. Based on the survey results and data analysis, the capstone project was deemed successful. The inpatient therapy staff reported increased knowledge and confidence with the material presented. Overall, the maintenance program and additional resources had a positive impact on the safety-net hospital’s Rehab in House program.