Caring for the Patient with COVID-19 in a Rehabilitation Unit

ABSTRACT

Similar to many hospital systems throughout the United States, the acute rehabilitation (AR) unit at Rush University Medical Center (RUMC) in Chi - cago, Illinois, was transformed into a COVID-19 rehabilitation unit during the spring 2020 surge. Because COVID-19 presented as a novel virus (Wang et al., 2020) with substantial acuity, an immediate interprofessional approach to rehabilitation was required in a context of a lack of evidence-based literature or best practices. Educational preparation provides a background in physical disability and mental health training, which positions OTs uniquely to collaborate with patients in identifying their priority goals, and ways to promote independence and success with these goals. [...]they worked closely with physicians to ensure patients with memory loss understood their treatment timeline. RUMC leaders initiated an innovative program to address this isolation while patients were in the AR unit, in which videoconferences facilitated communication between patients and their loved ones.