Geratology rehabilitation units are not just for stroke

doi:10.1136/bmj.39101.401991.1F

BMJ 2007;334:170 (27 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39101.401991.1F

Letters

Stroke rehabilitation

Geratology rehabilitation units are not just for stroke

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Young and Forster highlight the benefits ofa devoted stroke unit.¹ However, the advantages of specialisedrehabilitation for unselected elderly patients are less widelyaccepted.

With distinct stroke and general geratologyrehabilitation units, we were able to conduct a retrospectivestudy investigating the impact of rehabilitation on functionalstatus of general geratology patients. Case notes of 95 patientswere reviewed (31% male, average age 85, average length of stay52 days). Patients were referred from a variety of specialties(acute general medicine (72%), trauma (11%), non-orthopaedicsurgery (5%)) and the reason for initial admission to hospitalwas categorised as fall or musculoskeletal injury (30%), infectionor acute confusional state (29%), other medical problem (31%),or surgical problem (5%).

All patients were assessed and managed by adedicated team of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupationaltherapists, pharmacists, speech and language therapists, anddietitians. The average Barthel index on admission to the rehabilitation. . . [Full text of this article]

Anushka Soni, clinical fellow in rheumatology¹, Katie Walter², Simon M Ward², Hywel Jones²

¹ Great Western Hospital, Swindon anushkasoni@doctors.net.uk , ² Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford