Exploring maintenance rehabilitation in adults with chronic conditions: a scoping review of the literature

• Published in: Disability and rehabilitation pp. 1 - 11
• Main Authors: Rich, Tonya L, Silva, Marcelo A, O'Donnell, Frederica, Theis-Mahon, Nicole, Marth, Lindsay A, Saylor, Emily P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 23-10-2024
• Subjects: Rehabilitation; chronic disease; physical therapy specialty; occupational therapy; maintenance rehabilitation; speech-language pathology
• ISSN: 0963-8288; 1464-5165; 1464-5165
• DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2024.2417771

Individuals with chronic conditions have long-term needs which can be addressed by maintenance rehabilitation. The 2013
settlement in the United States (US) clarified the Medicare coverage of maintenance rehabilitation as a skilled service, even when no improvement is expected. A scoping review was conducted to describe maintenance rehabilitation.
A systematic search was performed across 9 databases. Maintenance rehabilitation was defined as services (e.g. occupational, physical, or speech language therapies), intended to maintain a person's condition and prevent decline. Studies focused on medical, or non-rehabilitative, interventions (e.g. opioid cessation or chemotherapy) were excluded. Of the 734 abstracts reviewed, 90 met inclusion criteria. Two reviewers extracted data and used descriptive statistics. An exploratory thematic analysis in a convenience sample contextualized the works.
Most works (90%) were peer-reviewed publications. The works represented 12,638 individuals, with predominant populations being cardiac (4,122 individuals) and pulmonary (2,324 individuals). Physical activity interventions were identified most frequently (87%). Outcome measures primarily focused on activities (49%) or body systems (42%). Thematic analysis suggests maintenance rehabilitation may support domains contributing to quality of life.
While evidence exists for maintenance therapy, future research on intervention design will guide implementation by health systems.