Rehabilitation experiences on a community hospital ward
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An interpretive phenomenology study of rehabilitation experiences of patients, relatives', and staff on a community hospital ward.
IRAS ID
344584
Contact name
TC Riddlesdell
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Leicestershire Partnership Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 3 days
Research summary
Community Hospitals are recognised for improving personal essential activities to return home for patients after an acute illness, and maintaining these activities at 6 months compared with District General Hospitals in the UK (Green et al, 2005). Yet in this research patients and relatives commonly believed that staff did not ‘do’ anything to rehabilitate patients. The researchers concluded that technical aspects of rehabilitation were incorporated into the routines within a general encouraging approach welcomed by patients (Small et al, 2009). This nurturing approach to rehabilitation in community hospitals aims for short term goals towards returning home continues today.
Rehabilitation research has rapidly grown in the past 20 years yet evidence – informed rehabilitation practice is slow to be adopted (Morris et al, 2020). Research exists for care experiences in community hospitals and patients’ experiences in neurological rehabilitation particularly stroke, but there is a gap in the literature of older people’s rehabilitation experiences in community hospitals.
A more recent national mapping of community hospitals by the National Institute of Health Research analysed 267 community hospital wards, highlighted the dynamic nature of community hospitals but susceptible to change and recognised that community hospital wards under pressure and pulled in different directions (Davidson 2019).There is a lack of research in the role of rehabilitation structures processes and outcomes in community hospitals and patient’s transition to community services. Suggesting an exploratory study with an interpretative emphasis.
This research project will use an interpretative phenomenological research design to explore the current lived experiences of older patients and families of their expectations, of rehabilitation processes during their stay on a community hospital ward and preparation to transition to community services.
Davidson, D. et al. (2019) ‘Analysis of the profile, characteristics, patient experience and community value of community hospitals: a multimethod study’.
Morris JH et al (2020), Implementation in rehabilitation: a roadmap for practitioners and researchers. Disabil Rehabil. 2020 Nov;42(22):3265-3274
Small, N. et al. (2007) ‘The patient experience of community hospital--the process of care as a determinant of satisfaction’, Journal of evaluation in clinical practice, 13(1), pp. 95–101.
Young J, Green J, Forster A, Small N, Lowson K, Bogle S, George J, Heseltine D, Jayasuriya T, Rowe J.(2007) Post acute care for older people in community hospitals: a multicenter randomized, controlled trial. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007 Dec;55(12):1995-2002.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EM/0198
Date of REC Opinion
22 Oct 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion