Hospital Program Developed to Address TBI Recovery
In the past victims of a traumatic brain injury were warehoused in facilities that lacked activities geared toward rehabilitation. Some patients were even restrained all day and often would become agitated and would need to be sedated. It was a vicious cycle. At University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey a program called Planned Activities Less Medication (PALM) has been developed to address the deficiencies. Linda McGinnis, directory of Patient Care Services for the Critical Care Division invented PALM. “Restraints, we felt, were dehumanizing,” McGinnis says. “In the past, patients would be restrained in their rooms all day, which made them even more confused, and often they required more sedation. But if we released their restraints, they became a risk for elopement or falls.” One-on-one sitters also proved unsatisfactory because demand depleted the work force. McGinnis created a room with carpeting, dim lighting, soft music, and aromatherapy with a variety of activities available to participate in that were entertaining and therapeutic. Many of the activities are geared toward rehabilitation. “Our objective is to provide a safe environment that will allow a continuum of care so we can decrease the length of stay for these patients,” explains McGinnis. “The patients love it. We have asked them to write down what they think about PALM, and their responses have been heartwarming.”
