Choosing Acute Rehabilitation
Acute rehabilitation units provide a higher level of therapeutic services than other rehabilitation facilities. Although the intensity and duration of therapies depend on the patient's needs and capabilities, therapy is provided seven days a week for three or more hours a day. The intensity and availability of therapeutic services provided through acute rehabilitation result in a high level of functional outcomes and discharges to the community. Patients admitted to a rehabilitation unit are three times more likely to go home than those admitted to a skilled nursing facility.
As with medical and therapeutic services, acute rehabilitation hospitals provide a distinctly different level of nursing care than other kinds rehabilitation facilities. A team of registered nurses attends to each patient's needs twenty-four hours a day. Patients receive more than six hours of nursing care each day (compared to four or less hours per day per patient at skilled nursing facilities). This high level of nursing care leads to early recognition/prevention of medical complications, more out-of-bed hours, and increased opportunities for patient- family education.