More occupational therapists are needed to provide client-centered, evidence-based rehabilitation to the large numbers of service members who sustained mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) while deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Proponency for Rehabilitation and Reintegration tasked a team of occupational and physical therapists to assemble evidence-based best practices specific to mTBI. Desp...

This report describes an evaluation by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, Technology Transfer Section (TTS). The Ultrasonic Head Controller Unit (UHCU) is the result of research and development conducted by the Palo Alto VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Center, under sponsorship of the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the VA Rehabilit...

OBJECTIVES To estimate the degree of incorporation of cardiac rehabilitation in the Spanish National Health Service, to describe the characteristics of the programs, and to report on the opinions of those responsible for them regarding their progress. PATIENTS AND METHOD Cardiac rehabilitation centers were identified from different sources. A questionnaire which included items about coverage,...

Advances in robotic technology have led to an important crossroad regarding their applications to physical and rehabilitation medicine. One aspect of this crossroad is healthcare providers’ and the general public’s continuing eagerness to use “robotics” to enhance clinical and patient care. Body-weight support treadmill systems, bionic neurons (BIONsTM), KineAssistTM, and the Massachusetts Inst...

I am grateful for help from many people, especially Dr Margaret Agerholm, Heenan House Rehabilitation Centre, London; Dr K Andrews, Department of Geriatric Medicine, University of Manchester; Miss Valerie Eaton Griffiths, Volunteer Stroke Scheme, Great Missenden; Drs R Langton Hewer and D Wade, Department of Neurology, Frenchay Hospital, Bristol; Dr D G Jenkins, Wolfson Medical Rehabilitation U...

This article uses individual vocational rehabilitation case data and disability insurance (DI) benefit histories from the master beneficiary record file to compare the costs and savings to the DI trust fund associated with the beneficiary rehabilitation program. Using cost-benefit procedures and varying assumptions as to the impact of vocational rehabilitation services, the savings to the trust...

BACKGROUND Reducing patient length of stay is a high priority for health service providers. Preliminary information suggests additional Saturday rehabilitation services could reduce the time a patient stays in hospital by three days. This large trial will examine if providing additional physiotherapy and occupational therapy services on a Saturday reduces health care costs, and improves the hea...

BACKGROUND Providing additional Saturday rehabilitation can improve functional independence and health related quality of life at discharge and it may reduce patient length of stay, yet the economic implications are not known. The aim of this study was to determine from a health service perspective if the provision of rehabilitation to inpatients on a Saturday in addition to Monday to Friday wa...

BACKGROUND In many parts of South Africa there is little support for people with psychosocial disability caused by schizophrenia, beyond provision of psychotropic medications. Appropriate community-based psychosocial rehabilitation interventions are a crucial element of mental health service development. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to use an explanatory model of illness framework to document ...

BACKGROUND Stroke survivors may not be receiving optimal rehabilitation as a result of a shortage of hospital resources, and many of them are institutionalized. A rehabilitation program provided in a short-term residential care setting may help to fill the service gap. OBJECTIVES The primary objectives of this study were, first, to examine whether there were significant differences in terms o...