Rehabilitation unit

Today we were in the 2nd affiliated hospital of the Heilongjiang University. This hospital is in another district. We spent the day on the rehabilitation department, the morning on the ward and the afternoon with a physiotherapist on their department. 

The ward was mainly for patients who had had stroke or cerebral bleed. They spend their initial period at the western hospital having thrombolysis, surgery or whatever treatment they require and are then discharged to the rehab unit. Here they have daily intensive therapy till they are recovered. In the initial stages they have acupuncture on the wards (often with electrotherapy) and then they begin.a programme of rehabilitation in the physio department. This combines treatment similar to our own in the UK but the physios also use treatments like Chiropractors/Osteopaths whilst Scalp Acupuncture needles are in stimulating the various zones of the brain. Whilst the department is to my eyes chaotic, it seems to incorporate treatment that we separate into different professions in the UK. The treatment is daily, intensive and with no time constraints and no rush to discharge patients. Much of the care is done by relatives, leaving the nursing and physios to do the more skilled jobs. Yes the environment is more chaotic, less comfortable and less aesthetically pleasing but are they getting a good service.....absolutely!