Nurses’ Contributions to “Getting Them Better” in Rehabilitation Units: A Case in Canada

Purpose: The aim of the study was to explore the perceptions of nurses’ contributions to inpatient rehabilitation and interprofessional teams in a Canadian context.

Design: A qualitative exploratory study was performed in three Ontario hospital rehabilitation units.

Methods: Thirty-one registered practical nurses having at least 1 year of rehabilitation nursing experience in geriatric or stroke hospital settings were interviewed using a semistructured guide. An inductive thematic analysis of the transcripts was completed.

Findings: Four themes emerged in relation to the perceived contributions of nurses. The first, Therapy Practice, referred to actions directly related to point of care and included “hands-on/hands-off,” reminders, and repetition of therapeutic motions. The second, Psychosocial Support, involved the psychosocial support of the patient to maintain their engagement with rehabilitation. The nurse’s role in coordinating patient care and maintaining the physical functioning of the patient for participation in rehabilitation formed the third and fourth themes, Coordinating Patient Care and Maintaining Patient Physical Functioning, respectively.

Clinical relevance: The findings have direct implications for delivery of quality whole-person care for optimal patient outcomes through inclusion of nurses in interprofessional collaboration on rehabilitation units.

Conclusion: The nurses identified their pervasive influences in explaining, demonstrating, and practicing with the goal to help the patient to (re)gain independence.

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