Introduction:

The role of the rehabilitation nurse is a determining aspect to improvet the patient’s functional independence and quality of life. The “Habilitar” Project was created, aiming to promote teaching, instructing and training the patients undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) and Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA), hence contributing to the functional recovery of the orthopedic patient.

Objective:

Analizyng the functional independence gains in patients undergoing postoperative motor rehabilitation program.

Methods:

Descriptive, retrospective, quantitative study. Patients undergoing scheduled THA and TKA between June 1st, 2017 and March 30 th 2019 were included. The data collection instrument was the Barthel Index, which we applied at three diverse time points.

Results:

One hundred and forty-four patients were included, with a clear recovery of functional independence, reflected by the evolution of the Barthel Index score (pre-hospitalization: 97.5; 2nd postoperative day: 61.8; discharge day: 89.8; 1st month after surgery: 96.8; 3rd month after surgery: 98.9).

Conclusions:

This project has enabled the patient to be trained as early as possible, maximizing their functional and independence potential, and facilitating their reintegration into society, with benefits in quality of life.

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