Christoph Gutenbrunner, Alessandro Stievano, David Stewart, Howard Catton, Boya Nugraha
Hanover Medical School, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hannover, Germany.
DOI: 10.2340/20030711-1000061

Evidence shows that, in order to attain optimum outcomes, rehabilitation interventions should be delivered by multi-professional teams. A rehabilitation nurse is one of the relevant rehabilitation professionals. The model of nursing care has shifted from the traditional model (a passive role of patients) to a complex and modern concept of nursing in supporting patients to independently and actively perform self-care. This paper briefly introduces the role of nurses in rehabilitation, from the point of view of rehabilitation service delivery, which is relevant in all phases and types of rehabilitation care, including acute rehabilitation, post-acute rehabilitation, long-term rehabilitation, nursing home and geriatric care, and in community-based rehabilitation service.

There is strong consensus that rehabilitation must be delivered by teams comprising a range of professionals; so-called multi-professional teams. This leads to optimum outcomes of rehabilitation treatment. A rehabilitation nurse is an important member of the multi-professional team. This article briefly describes the role of nursing in rehabilitation of different types and at different levels of healthcare, including acute rehabilitation, post-acute rehabilitation, long-term rehabilitation, nursing home and geriatric care, and community-based rehabilitation service.