Effect of Communication and Education within the Rehabilitation Team: Therapists' and Nurses' Views

Objective

To improve the rehabilitation team's awareness of patient mobility and participation by improving communication between therapists and nurses and conducting patient education.

Design

This study used a non-equivalent control group with a nonsynchronized design. To facilitate communication between therapists and nurses, we used a manual for mobility management to improve the sharing of information on the functional status of patients. We also implemented patient education to improve their awareness of mobility and participation. Finally, we conducted newly devised surveys related to patient functional status and awareness that were applied by therapists and nurses.

Results

The nurses reported significantly lower functional levels of patients compared to those assessed by therapists. After the intervention, the kappa values representing the concordance between therapists and nurses improved to almost perfect agreement for transfer ability (κ=0.836), mobility (κ=0.664), and toileting (κ=1.000). We also observed a statistically significant increase in questionnaire scores with respect to nurses' awareness (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Improving communication among the rehabilitation team, including nurses through the use of a continuous education program, was effective in promoting the mobility and functional level of patients in the inpatient ward.