When asked, 'How long do I have to keep doing rehabilitation?'

I have been asked this by a patient before.

"Doctor, how long... do I have to keep doing rehabilitation?"

They asked me with eyes full of anxiety. People fear things with no end in sight the most. When I was a novice, I couldn't answer this question well.

Only assessment can show the goal

Saying "Let's work a little harder" doesn't give the other person peace of mind. What is needed is to show where they are now, how much further they have to go, and what they will be able to do.

The basis for being able to put that into words is assessment.

"When you were admitted, your TUG was 20 seconds. Now it's 14 seconds. Actually, this test—standing up, walking, turning around, and sitting back down—is almost the same as the movements for going to the bathroom. When it was 20 seconds, you were quite unsteady when turning and needed supervision, but now that part has become much more stable. At this rate, let's make it our goal for you to be able to go by yourself at night."
—When I can say this, the patient's expression changes. It's because they can see the goal.

Assessment isn't for getting a score. It is for showing that "just a little more" with concrete numbers and turning it into hope. Ever since I thought that way, I have made it a point to always return the results of the assessment to the person in their own language.

Numbers only have meaning when they are returned to the person themselves. Numbers that exist only in the medical chart are just records.

How do you convey assessment results to your patients? Please let me know in the comments if you'd like.

I am distributing recording sheets that turn assessments into "comparable numbers" for free📋 Follow me to receive new sheets.

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