Characterizing rehabilitation services for patients with knee and hip replacement in skilled nursing facilities and inpatient rehabilitation facilities.
OBJECTIVE
To characterize rehabilitation services for patients with knee and hip replacement in 3 types of postacute facilities in the U.S.


METHODS
Multi-site prospective observational cohort study.


METHODS
Eight freestanding skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), 1 hospital-based SNF, and 11 inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs).


METHODS
Patients (N=2158) with knee or hip replacement.


METHODS
No new interventions.


METHODS
Length of stay (LOS), amount and intensity of physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT), types of therapy activities.


RESULTS
Average LOS was about 15 days for freestanding SNF patients, and 9 to 10 days for hospital-based SNF and IRF patients. Freestanding SNFs and IRFs provide about the same number of hours of PT and OT; the hospital-based SNF provided 27% fewer hours. Freestanding SNFs and the hospital-based SNF provided fewer hours a day than did IRFs. Joint replacement patients across all 3 types of facilities spent, on average, 70% to 75% of their PT time in just 2 activities--exercise and gait and spent 56% to 66% of their OT time in 3 activities--exercise, functional mobility, and dressing lower body.


CONCLUSIONS
Both freestanding SNFs and IRFs provided similar amounts of PT with a similar emphasis on exercise and gait activities. IRFs, however, provided more OT than freestanding SNFs. IRFs had shorter LOSs and more intensive therapy services than freestanding SNFs. Study freestanding SNFs exhibited greater variation in LOS and intensity of therapy than IRFs.
DeJong
Gerben
G
Center for Post-acute Studies, National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, DC 20010, USA. Gerben.DeJong@MedStar.net
Hsieh
Ching-Hui
CH
Gassaway
Julie
J
Horn
Susan D
SD
Smout
Randall J
RJ
Putman
Koen
K
James
Roberta
R
Brown
Michael
M
Newman
Elizabeth M
EM
Foley
Mary P
MP
D000368:Aged; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012866:Skilled Nursing Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019467:Subacute Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States