Introduction:

Community rehabilitation improves the population's accessibility to flexible and affordable rehabilitation services. Its expansion is essential, however the evidence of the benefits of its integration in primary care is still limited. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a Rehabilitation Project carried out by the Rehabilitation Specialist Nurse in the community.

Methodology:

Quasi-experimental study, with an accidental non-probabilistic sample consisting of 126 users. Assessment instruments were applied before and after interventions, Numerical Pain Scale, Medical Research Council Muscle Scale and Barthel Index.

Results:

The Nursing Diagnosis “Musculoskeletal pain” present in 98.41% of users in Phase 1 decreased to 25.40% in Phase 2. The Nursing Diagnosis “Impaired muscle movement” decreased from 80.16% to 15.87% in Phase 2. The Nursing Diagnosis “Dependent self-care” present in 65.08% in Phase 1 decreased to 8.73% in Phase 2. The differences were statistically significant.

Discussion:

Rehabilitation improves the person's independence and anticipates their return to work. Thus, access to rehabilitation care may contribute to reducing absenteeism. The interventions carried out by the rehabilitation specialist nurse led to a reduction in musculoskeletal pain, an increase in muscle strength and an improvement in self-care, similar to what has been demonstrated in other studies.

Conclusion:

The results prove the positive effect of the interventions carried out by the rehabilitation specialist nurse and highlight the impact of a Rehabilitation Project. This professional assumes a privileged position in the implementation of measures that promote rehabilitation in the community.

        · resumen en Español | Portugués     · texto en Portugués | Inglés     · Inglés ( pdf ) | Portugués ( pdf )