Impact of Rehabilitation Team on Disability Among Stroke Patients

Background: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) is a newer rapidly growing specialty in Bangladesh. Because of the improved primary care and acute care services people are living longer with a raised demand of hospitalizations of patients with disabilities resulting from trauma and disease conditions. There is necessity of developing a better service outlet of the patients withpain and paralysis in association of various disabilities. Patients undergoing comprehensive rehabilitation require the services of multiple health care providers who possess unique skills, training, and expertise that are employed for the full restoration of these patients' function and their optimal reintegration into all aspects of life. Assessment, treatment planning, and therapy are often provided by rehabilitation clinicians specializing in occupational therapy, physical therapy, prosthetics and orthotics, psychology and recreational therapy, speech and language pathology, rehabilitation nursing, social work, dietary science, case management, and others. Rapidly expanding Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) has been working as the center of excellence for patient managements and postgraduate medical education in Bangladesh. Rehabilitation Medicine wards Indoor services started during June 2015 and over a total of 600 patients were treated in the facilities so far. Rehabilitation team meeting occurs in the department of PMR in the many countries of the world. Still there is no team meeting in PMR department in our country. So we started Rehabilitation team meeting in our department in BSMMU for the wellbeing of the patient and this will increase the reputation of this University.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of rehabilitation team on disability among stroke patinets attending in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) in BSMMU Materials & Methods: A randomized controlled trial will be conducted in Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, BSMMU, Dhaka for duration of one year after clearance from IRB. A number of total 136 patients who have disability after stroke will be selected as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients will be randomly allocated by lottery in two groups- group A (received Rehabilitation Team Meeting service) and group B (received conventional Rehabilitation treatment). The meeting comprised physiotherapist, occupational therapist, rehabilitation nurse, speech and language therapists, social worker, nutritionist, psychologists under the team leader guidance by physiatrist. Respondents of both groups will be assessed to see the effects of treatment at 6th weeks, 12th weeks and 24th weeks. Outcomes will be measured by FIM (Functional independence Measure) scores.

Process of obtaining consent:

Consent form will be a written statement. This study result will add benefit to the society by providing information about rehabilitation .

Use of new drugs: No experimental drug or placebo will be used for this study. Use hospital records: Hospital records will not be used in our study.

Risk and Benefit:

The nature and purpose of the study will be informed in detail to all participants. Voluntary participations will be encouraged. There will be no potential physical, psychological, legal and social risk to the subjects. This study will bring fruitful medical information useful for the study subjects and other patients who will be undergoing the provided treatments.