Functional outcomes and rehabilitation: an acute care field study.

The effectiveness of intervention including occupational therapy in combination with other rehabilitation services was investigated in 193 acute care patients with a variety of diagnostic conditions. The study was conducted in two phases. In both phases, patients who received occupational therapy in conjunction with other services were compared to patients who did not receive occupational therapy. In the first phase, patients (N = 77) were matched according to diagnostic category, age, sex, and severity of impairment. In both phases, outcome measures included length of hospital stay, Barthel Index change scores, and discharge destination. Results revealed statistically significant findings for the measure of discharge destination. Patients who received occupational therapy as part of their rehabilitation program were more likely to be discharged to home environments. This result occurred despite the fact that patients receiving occupational therapy were rated as more severely impaired than patients who did not receive occupational therapy as part of their rehabilitation program.