RESUMO
PURPOSE: Multiple hospitals in Alberta implemented the End PJ Paralysis - a multicomponent inpatient ambulation initiative aimed at preventing the adverse physical and psychological effects patients experience due to low mobility during admission. To inform a scale-up strategy, this study assessed the impact of the initiative based on select process and outcome measures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical and administrative data were obtained from the hospital Discharge Abstract Database, Research Electronic Data Capture (Redcaps), and Reporting and Learning System for Patient Safety. The variables explored were length of stay, inpatient falls, discharge disposition, pressure injury, patient ambulation, and patient dressed rates. We then used the Interrupted Time Series design for impact analysis. RESULTS: The analysis included discharge abstracts for 32,884 patients and the results showed significant improvements in outcomes at the participating units. The length of stay and inpatient falls were reduced immediately by 1.8 days (B2=-1.80, p = 0.044, 95% CI [-3.54, -0.05]), and 2.2 events (B2=-2.22, p = 005, 95% CI [-3.75, -0.69]). The percentage of patients discharged home increased overtime (B2=.39, p=.006, 95% CI [.11, .66]). Mobilization and dressed rates also improved. CONCLUSIONS: The findings imply the interventions safely mitigated the risk of immobility-induced complications, including deconditioning and hospital-acquired disability.
Immobility during hospitalization is endemic in hospitals and, without intervention, presents a significant risk of physiological deconditioning and subsequent adverse health outcomes, such as functional decline and hospital-acquired disability.This study elevates the importance of preserving functional capacity and dignity of hospitalized patients by encouraging them to get up, dress in personal clothes, and move as much possible.Function-focused initiatives, that include intentional patient ambulation, have the potential to mitigate the risk of immobility-induced deconditioning and other adverse outcomes, such as falls and pressure injury, in older adults.In this study, we have demonstrated the End PJ Paralysis had a positive impact on patient ambulation, length of stay, inpatient falls, and discharge disposition.The study also informed a proposed transformational roadmap to strengthen rehabilitation in the provincial health system and spread the initiative to all the major hospitals to potentially benefit more patients.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the development and composition of a codesigned, multidisciplinary, integrated, systematic rehabilitation framework for post-COVID conditions (PCC) that spans the care continuum to streamline and standardize rehabilitation services to support persons with PCC in Alberta, Canada. METHODS: A collaborative, consensus-based approach was used involving 2 iterative provincial taskforces in a Canadian provincial health system. The first taskforce (59 multidisciplinary stakeholders) sought to clarify the requisite facets of a sustainable, provincially coordinated rehabilitation approach for post-COVID rehabilitation needs based on available research evidence. The second taskforce (129 multidisciplinary stakeholders) translated that strategy and criteria into an operational framework for provincial implementation. Both taskforces sought to align with operational realities of the provincial health system. RESULTS: The summation of this collaborative consensus approach resulted in the Provincial Post COVID-19 Rehabilitation Response Framework (PCRF). The PCRF includes 3 care pathways across the care continuum specifically targeting in-hospital care, continuing care, and community-based care with 3 key elements: (1) the use of specific symptom screening and assessment tools to systematically identify PCC symptoms and functional impairments, (2) pathways to determine patients' rehabilitation trajectory and guide their transition between care settings, and (3) self-management and education resources for patients and providers. CONCLUSION: The PCRF aligns with international mandates for novel, codesigned, multidisciplinary approaches to systematically address PCC and its myriad manifestations across the care continuum. The PCRF allows for local adaptation and highlights equity considerations, allowing for further spread and scale provincially, nationally, and internationally. IMPACT: The PCRF is a framework for health systems to ensure consistent identification, assessment, and management of the rehabilitation needs of postacute and chronic PCC. Rehabilitation providers and health systems can build from the PCRF for their local communities to reduce unmet needs and advance the standardization of access to rehabilitation services for persons with PCC.