Co-ordination of patient care in inpatient rehabilitation

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a new patient care co-ordinator position in an inpatient rehabilitation setting. DESIGN: Pre and post test using a 42-item staff survey. SETTING: One inpatient rehabilitation service in rural New South Wales, Australia. SUBJECTS: Members of the multidisciplinary team. INTERVENTION: A new patient care co-ordinator position. OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison of trends in staff responses to pre and post test surveys. FINDINGS: The post test survey demonstrated an overall increase in the reported frequency of desirable rehabilitation practices and increased staff satisfaction with those practices. CONCLUSIONS: A patient care co-ordinator may contribute to improving the processes and practices of inpatient rehabilitation and staff satisfaction.