Interdisciplinary acute medical rehabilitation — a retrospective analysis of clinical data - Interdisciplinary acute medical rehabilitation

Purpose: Interdisciplinary acute rehabilitation (AR) refers to the earliest possible use of rehabilitative measures in an acute care setting. It closes the gap between acute medical care and post-acute rehabilitation. This study aims to assess functional gains of an interdisciplinary acute rehabilitation sample. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis of n=1.018 AR cases, treated on a specialized acute rehabilitation unit between 2011 and 2020. Primary clinical outcomes were mobility, as assessed with Charité Mobility Index, ADL function (Barthel Index) as well as discharge location. Results: Functional gains in mobility (p<0.001; r=0.6) and ADL (p<0.001; r=0.6) were highly significant with high effect sizes. The majority of patients were discharged to their homes (45%) or to post-acute rehabilitation (42%). Conclusions: Mobility and ADL function largely improve in a sample of patients with complex rehabilitation needs, who received acute rehabilitation.