Rise in medically complex patients: Prepare your rehabilitation program

Hospital-based rehabilitation programs are expecting to see a major influx of medically complex patients in the coming decades. However, COVID-19 has further spurred the drastic increase and caused an immediate rise in medically complex patients with multiple comorbidities.

For example, stroke prevalence is expected to rise 21 percent by 2030, and more than 1.2 million citizens are projected to have Parkinson’s disease.1,2 Moreover, patients experiencing prolonged symptoms of COVID-19 are expected to face additional medical complexities and disabilities.

This leaves hospital leaders with a significant question: What can be done to care for the current and future medically complex patient population, especially in a hospital rehabilitation setting?

Three areas driving the greatest impact in treating medically complex patients are: (1) clinical staff, (2) tech innovation and (3) patient and family member experience:

1. Getting your staff prepared clinically
Many rehabilitation programs make the mistake of serving this new medically complex patient population with the same staffing model that they’ve previously used. Positions that are particularly important for treating medically complex patients are: rehabilitation-experienced nurses, speech and language pathologists, clinical liaisons and infection control specialists.

2. Adapting through tech innovation
The usage of telehealth technology has rapidly increased since the beginning of COVID-19, with baby boomers accounting for the greatest portion of new users. There has been an overall increase of 155 percent — jumping from 9 percent pre-pandemic to 23 percent.4 By embracing new technologies such as BONIK robots and exoskeletons, rehabilitation programs and their patients can achieve greater levels of success while increasing patient satisfaction.

3. Patient and family member experience
In addition to clinical expertise, innovative technology and top-rated rehabilitation programing, support from hospital staff throughout a patient’s care journey is critical.

Developing patient engagement initiatives, like follow-up calls, into standard discharge procedure can help produce optimal outcomes. For instance, brain injury patients who receive follow-up calls are more likely to consistently take medication and attend clinic visits — reducing readmission risk.1

Additionally, for many medically complex patients, an adult child takes on the role of caregiver. Initiatives to support the caregiver can help rehabilitation programs reduce readmissions and improve patient outcomes.5 These include: transitional support, educational materials, case managers, peer support groups and mobile
app technology.

Addressing medically complex needs through program optimization
By developing rehabilitation-specific expertise around these three key areas rehabilitation programs can reach new levels of success. To learn how Kindred can help your rehabilitation program adapt to the rapidly changing patient population, visit www.kindredrehab.com.

References
1 Kristen M. Poston. Reducing Readmissions in Stroke patients. American Nurse Today. Dec 2018. https://www.americannursetoday.com/reducing-readmissions-in-strokepatients/ 
2 C. Marras, J.C. Beck, et al. Prevalence of Parkinson’s disease across North America. npj Parkinson’s Disease. Jul 2018. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41531-018-0058-0
3 Rita Rubin, M. (2020, October 13). As Their Numbers Grow, COVID-19 “Long Haulers” Stump Experts. Retrieved January 18, 2021, from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2771111
4 How Covid-19 transformed virtual care preferences, according to our 7,000-patient survey. (2021, January 12). Retrieved January 19, 2021, from https://www.advisory.com/Blog/2021/01/Covid-19-telehealth?utm_source=member_db&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2021jan19&utm_content=member_trendingnow_final_blog_x_x_x&elq_cid=4329166&x_id=0033b00002XWefKAAT
5 Jill I Cameron. Supporting Caregivers Across the Care Continuum.University of Toronto: Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. http://www.gtarehabnetwork.ca/uploads/File/bpd/2017/Concurrent_AM-B_Caregivers_across_Continuum_Jill_Cameron.pdf

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

HR_Patient_Safety_Outcomes_300x250

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Webinars

HR_Patient_Safety_Outcomes_125x125