Acute hospital discharges of patients with major disability: a review of patients admitted to a young disabled unit.
The aim of this study was to describe a young disabled unit (YDU). These units are increasingly required to serve the needs of people with severe disabilities. Forty-two patients were included in the study; the age range was 22 to 61 years. Traumatic brain injury was the most common diagnosis on admission (13), followed by sub-arachnoid haemorrhage and non-haemorrhagic stroke (11) and non-traumatic brain injury (7). For people with severe acquired brain injuries, the course of neurological recovery often exceeds two years. The prognosis made in the acute hospital setting may need to be revised in the YDU when input from a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team enables patients to further their independence. YDUs need to have their own multidisciplinary team and sessional support from specialists in rehabilitation medicine to provide slow-stream rehabilitation. It is necessary to adequately resource all services for disabled people including inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services, community services and YDUs. Step-down services without specialised neurological rehabilitation input may fail to achieve the full potential for patients transferred out of acute hospitals.
D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000592:standards*; D011379:Prognosis; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers