Rehabilitative nursing: a core nursing function across all settings

Nurses are challenged to meet the changing health care needs of the Australian population as they live longer and experience increasing levels of disability. This paper reports on part of the findings of a recent study of rehabilitation nurses and suggests that the findings are relevant to all nurses as they attempt to meet this challenge. Thirty-four registered nurses working in rehabilitation settings in three states of Australia participated in the study. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data and validate interpretations. From the seven domains of practice identified in the findings, this paper discusses only one, the rehabilitative approach. This domain begins to capture the how and why of rehabilitation nursing practice, rather than the what. The rehabilitative approach is about the way the nurses conceptualise and think about their practice and the people they interact with. It is greater than the cliché of holistic care. Given that rehabilitation is a process that the patient undergoes and is not setting specific, the findings of this study offer direction to all nurses in supporting the rehabilitation of their patients. The study, the first of its kind in Australia, provides valuable guidance for the designers of undergraduate and postgraduate nursing programs in Australia.