Previous studies have suggested that providing patients in the intensive care unit with rehabilitation therapy may reduce length of stay, but a study published Tuesday in JAMA found the opposite.
Researchers examined 300 patients who were admitted to an ICU for respiratory failure and were on a mechanical ventilation system. Half of those patients were assigned to receive daily standardized rehabilitation therapy, involving passive range of motion, physical therapy and progressive resistance exercise. The other 150 patients received weekday physical therapy when the clinical team ordered it.
They found that the median hospital length of stay was the same for the rehabilitation group and the control group — 10 days. They also found no difference in duration of ventilation or ICU care, and functional- and health-related quality of life outcomes were similar for the two groups.