Rehabilitation in emergency departments: A regional scan and future opportunities

Abstract

Emergency Departments (EDs) have faced mounting pressures in recent years as greater volumes of patients seek care, many with increasingly complex clinical and social needs. However, the potential contributions of rehabilitation professionals to help alleviate these pressures in the ED are not well understood or leveraged. To address this knowledge gap, the authors conducted a literature review of rehabilitation models of care and the impact of rehabilitation professionals in the ED, as well as an environmental scan to understand rehabilitation models of care across two large regions in Ontario. This article outlines these findings, as well as future opportunities related to leading care and patient flow practices based on rehabilitation models in the ED.