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Early occupational therapy 'helps intensive care patients'

Friday 29th May 2009

People who spend time in intensive care units return to normal functions more quickly when their sedation is interrupted by daily periods of physical activity, it has been suggested.

According to research recently published in the Lancet, such interruptions result in better patient outcomes.

A team of scientists randomly assigned 104 sedated and ventilated patients to either daily interruption of sedation with physical and occupational therapy or to standard care as ordered by their care teams.

They discovered the 59 per cent of patients in the intervention group achieved independent functional status when discharged from hospital.

This compared with 35 per cent of patients in the control group.

Commenting on the findings, the study's authors said: "A strategy for whole-body rehabilitation ... was safe and well tolerated, and resulted in better functional outcomes at hospital discharge."

Recently, Warwick Hospital bought an occupational therapy tool which is designed to improve patient's abilities to use their hands, the Coventry Telegraph reported.

Written by Angela Newbury