Patient Stories
St. Luke’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation team helps restore an eastern Iowa man’s life after a motocross accident... Read Ryan's story. Watch Ryan's video.
Spinal Cord Rehabilitation
A spinal cord injury can bring an overwhelming sense of uncertainty to patients and their families. We strive to replace these feelings with ones of hope and optimism.
St. Luke’s served 23 spinal cord injury patients in 2010 from Iowa and surrounding states. 96 percent of the patients served stated they were satisfied with their stay at St. Luke’s inpatient rehabilitation unit.
Comprehensive Team
St. Luke’s takes a team approach in spinal cord rehabilitation. Included are:
- Physiatrists
- Rehabilitation Neurologists
- Neuropsychologists
- Medical/Health Psychologists
- Physical Therapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Speech Therapists
- Recreational Therapists
- Rehabilitation Nurses
- Patient Care Coordinators
- Social Workers
- Pastoral care services
Individualized Plan
Services for spinal cord injury patients are individualized and provided in a variety of settings, depending on the severity of the injury and stage of recovery.
- Inpatient care: patients who need comprehensive care benefit from a full range of services available in our technically advanced inpatient unit.
- Outpatient care: comprehensive outpatient therapy is available at four different sites throughout Cedar Rapids and Marion. Learn more about Therapy Plus.
- Individual therapy: patients have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a therapist. Family members and care givers are encouraged to participate in the sessions.
- Additional support services include a monthly spinal cord injury support group.
Functional Independence Measurement (FIM)
The FIM Instrument is a nationally recognized instrument that measures a patient’s functional abilities in areas such as eating, grooming, toileting, transfers, mobility, bowel/bladder management, communication and cognitive skills.
The FIM change rating shows how much a patient improved from admission to discharge. In 2010, the national average was 25.1. St. Luke’s FIM change was 24.9.
Length of stay
A patient’s time in the hospital is always reviewed to ensure we’re making the most of your stay. In 2010, St. Luke’s length of stay for patients with a traumatic spinal cord injury was 22.5 days compared to National benchmark of 23.6 days.
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Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) for inpatient rehabilitation program. St. Luke’s also holds accreditation with the Joint Commission. |
