The work of rehabilitation

To describe three years of activity of a rehabilitation unit and to make comparisons between clients who receive different levels of active rehabilitation.

A retrospective study set in an inpatient rehabilitation facility located in Dunedin, New Zealand, examining 874 inpatient admissions over three financial years (2000--2002). Outcome measures include Functional Independence Scores (FIM) at admission and discharge, length of stay, weekly gains in FIM scores, and changes in FIM sub-scores.

Assessment and rehabilitation patients made significant FIM gains in comparison to assessment only and social relief (respite care) patients. Assessment and rehabilitation patients showed greater gains in the Physical dimensions of the FIM in comparison to the Cognitive although this is probably a function of different scaling. Floor and ceiling effects were not present in the FIM.

The interdisciplinary rehabilitation program brings about real functional and cognitive gains in a range of patients as measured with the FIM. This adds to the considerable body of research which documents FIM gains and further provides evidence that physical and cognitive gains differ.