Disabil Rehabil. 2025 Jul 20:1-14. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2025.2534090. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTPURPOSE: Early rehabilitation can support functional recovery and prevent deconditioning in hospital, though practice remains variable. This study aimed to evaluate an emerging model for delivering early, multidisciplinary rehabilitation parallel to acute specialist medical care; in-reach rehabilitation.METHODS: Consecutive in-reach rehabilitation episodes delivered as part of standard care at a tertiary hospital between 2015-2023 were included in a retrospective evaluation. Routine data including case characteristics, rehabilitation goals and functional independence before and after in-reach rehabilitation were extracted from records and analyzed via descriptive statistics and mixed-effects linear modeling.RESULTS: 967 participants were included (64% male, mean age 58.4 ± 15.4 years). In-reach episodes were delivered over a median 11 [7-18] days for heterogenous diagnoses, most commonly reconditioning (31.3%), cardiopulmonary transplant (22.1%), and neurological impairments (20.1%). Functional Independence Measure scores increased with in-reach rehabilitation (mean gain 24.0 points [95% CI 22.9-25.1]); with younger age, earlier in-reach commencement and certain diagnoses associated with larger gains in multivariable modeling. In-reach goals prioritized activities and participation, with high observed goal attainment (90.5%).CONCLUSIONS: In-reach rehabilitation is feasible in an acute general hospital setting for patients with heterogenous diagnoses. In-reach rehabilitation was associated with functional improvements and high rates of goal attainment in routine care.PMID:40684378 | DOI:10.1080/09638288.2025.2534090