Background/Objectives: Traumatic injury in adults can result in decreased physical function, reduced health-related quality of life, and persisting mental health problems. Enhanced rehabilitation in the acute setting may support recovery. Although prior reviews have investigated enhanced rehabilitation across multiple care settings, there remains limited emphasis on interventions implemented specifically within the acute phase of care. This narrative review aimed to examine the current evidence evaluating the effect of enhanced rehabilitation delivered by physiotherapy and/or occupational therapy on physical function following traumatic injury. Methods: A systematic search of Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL was conducted to identify experimental and quasi-experimental studies that delivered enhanced unidisciplinary or multidisciplinary rehabilitation immediately following traumatic injury. Key findings from relevant studies were synthesised narratively. Results: Three randomised controlled trials were included. Due to heterogeneity in population presentations, interventions, outcomes, and timing of measurement, qualitative synthesis was not feasible. There was no significant difference in acute length of stay or discharge destination between intervention and control groups. The effect of enhanced rehabilitation on physical function was inconclusive, and the optimal dosage remains unclear due to inadequate reporting. Conclusions: Evidence for enhanced rehabilitation after traumatic injury is limited. Further research is needed to determine the effect of enhanced rehabilitation on physical function in this population. Pragmatic study designs with standardised reporting and patient-centred outcome measures to capture traumatic injury populations are needed to improve synthesis of findings and guide clinical practice.
Lai et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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