Investigation of the effects of intervention by therapists at night on convalescent rehabilitation units

Abstract

Aim: This study sought to investigate the influence of intervention by therapists at night on the patient’s ADL’s, number of falls, etc. On convalescent rehabilitation units in order to examine the efficacy of the intervention. Methods: The study subjects included patients hospitalized on 11 convalescent rehabilitation units. The period of intervention by the therapists at night and the period of no intervention were each set for three months. The improvements in the ADL scores during each period were compared, and the changes in the number of falls were examined. In addition, a questionnaire survey was conducted among the night shift staff in order to examine the need for intervention. Results: The patients who received intervention by therapists at night showed higher scores for BI, FIM, etc. and fewer falls than those treated without intervention. The results of the questionnaire survey indicated differences between the therapists and other professionals regarding their attitude toward working the night shift. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that intervention by therapists at night results in favorable outcomes, e.g., improvements in the patient’s ADL’s and a reduction in the number of falls. Although there are issues to be discussed with respect to raising awareness among therapists and concerns regarding work-related problems, intervention by therapists at night has the possibil¬ity to be used as a new treatment strategy on rehabilitation units.