The aim of the study was to investigate the amount and focus of rehabilitation nursing carepractices and the association of these practices to quality outcomes. Additionally, the aim of thestudy was to describe the characteristics and leadership models of the functional level in long-termcare units providing rehabilitation nursing care.
The study consists of four articles. The data for the first three articles were derived from theNational Institute for Health and Welfare Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) database. Thedata for the first article (n=5312) were collected using resident level data. The second article isbased on unit level information (n=256) and data from a questionnaire sent to the nursing leadersof the functional level (n=189) in facilities which adopted RAI. For the third article the residentlevel data (n=2037) were used from the study of Laine (2005). The statistical analyses wereperformed by SAS statistical software for Windows. The data were presented as mean scores andconfidence intervals. Regression models were used to present the associations between variables.The qualitative data for the fourth article was collected by interviews with the nursing leaders atthe functional level (n=14). The data were analysed by content analysis.
The results show that residents receiving rehabilitation nursing had more impaired cognitiveand physical function. The amount of rehabilitation nursing practice was associated to the nurses'assessment of residents' rehabilitation potential. Daily provision of rehabilitation nursing activitywas associated to better care quality. It decreased the prevalence of bedridden residents andresidents with little or no activity. It increased the amount of nursing time spent on residents. Theleadership of the rehabilitation units consisted of recognizing options, promoting guidelines,reminding nurses, upholding open communication, supporting the learning process andrespecting. The characteristics of rehabilitation units involved characteristics of Magnet Hospitals.The measure of rehabilitation nursing that measured the amount of rehabilitation nursing activitywas usable and distinctive.
In this study, measurable information about the amount of rehabilitation nursing practice wasacquired. Findings of this study are usable for evaluation of nursing care outcomes and fordeveloping nursing management.
