Advancement of a Rehab Model of Care: The Designated Stroke Pod

In April 2015, Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre implemented a new rehab service delivery model, referred to as the POD Model. The goals of this transformation included:  
•	Adding value to the patient experience
•	Achieving better patient outcomes
•	Improving program performance 
•	Strengthening interprofessional collaboration
•	Advancing  best practices and  expertise

Since implementation, Hotel Dieu Shaver’s key performance measures have shown positive results with; length of stay, Functional Independence MeasureTM  efficiency,  percentage of patients meeting their target length of stay  and patient satisfaction scores.
 
In 2017 a Stroke POD Planning Committee was formed to complete a program review and to further align our POD model with the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Guidelines.  Three areas of opportunity were identified; timely access to rehabilitation, rehab intensity and further advancement of best practice care.
In April 2018, following the recommendations of this committee, the PODs were re-configured to create one dedicated Stroke Pod. The changes included; 
•	 Improving PT/OT to patient ratios to 1:7  
•	Dedicating a  Physiatrist with stroke expertise 
•	Designating these 7 Beds for ONLY Stroke Rehabilitation patients
•	Targeted patient scheduling
The indicators monitored through this proof of concept include;
•	Rehab Intensity time
•	Percentage of patients meeting their target length of  stay
•	Number of days to access Stroke Rehabilitation
•	Alignment to Canadian Stroke Best Practices
Our experience with the POD model and its evolution indicates that continuous quality improvement is multi-layered and involves the consideration of structure, processes, accountability and should be grounded by guiding principles.

ADVANCEMENT OF A REHAB MODEL OF CARE: THE DESIGNATED STROKE POD