Mapping disease-specific time allocation of rehabilitation approaches in acute care: A large-scale retrospective study

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Objective Although exercise therapy and specific interventions are fundamental components of rehabilitation, time allocation to various training types across different diseases remains ambiguous. This study aimed to describe and compare rehabilitation training-time allocation across major disease categories within an acute care setting. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using rehabilitation data from a university hospital from January to December 2025. Rehabilitation approaches were documented using the Standard Categories of Rehabilitation Approaches Framework. The relationship between disease categories and the proportion of training time allocated to specific interventions was analyzed using cross-tabulation and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), adjusting for age, sex, and hospital length of stay. Results The study analyzed 6,678 rehabilitation prescription episodes from 5,343 unique inpatients categorized into 11 disease categories based on the International Classification of Diseases-10 codes. Disease categories were associated with training composition (p < 0.001). Endurance training was high among patients with neoplasms. The symptoms/signs category showed heightened speech/language and eating/swallowing training needs. Conversely, patients with neurological disorders and stroke received greater allocations of training for cognitive function, activities of daily living (ADL), and upper limb function. ANCOVA results showed that disease categories remained associated with training time allocation after adjustment for age, sex, and hospital length of stay. Conclusion The allocation of rehabilitation training time differed by disease characteristics, suggesting that acute-care rehabilitation practice is organized around disease-specific clinical needs. These findings provide a quantitative basis for describing current practice, informing standardization, and guiding future outcome research.