title: [Project rehabilitating].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As the population gets older, the rehabilitation nurse's importance gets higher. The rehabilitation nurse improves the patient's quality of life, well being, and contributes to upgrade health care worldwide. It has a fundamental role in multidisciplinary healthcare teams. In our institution's orthopedics ward, there was no rehabilitation care during the weekend and holidays, due to the absence of rehabilitation nurses during that period.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Ensure rehabilitation nursing care on weekends and holidays, continuing care and helping to decrease the length of stay in inpatient surgical services.
  
  
  METHODS
  We did a retrospective analysis of the length of stay in the orthopedics ward at our hospital, after the implementation of rehabilitation care during weekends and holidays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the last three years, since rehabilitation care is maintained during the weekend and holidays, the length of stay at the ward decreased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results sustain the importance of rehabilitation nurses in multidisciplinary teams, and emphasize its role in reducing the length of stay at the ward with health care gains.
authors.affiliation: cmrcunha@portugalmail.pt
authors.forename: Cristina Maria
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.forename: Paula Cristina Cavaleiro
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Saraiva
authors.forename: António Manuel
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sequeira
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Monteiro
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019145:Rehabilitation Nursing; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000078329:Workforce