The important impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the reorganization of a Rehabilitation Unit in a National Healthcare System hospital in Italy: lessons from our experience

ABSTRACT: Since March 2020, when COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the world's healthcare systems' main concern has been fighting the pandemic. However, patients with other diseases, also requiring rehabilitation evaluations and treatments, continued to need care. Our Rehabilitation Unit managed to maintain contact with patients through alternative communication methods even during the lockdown period and in a situation of staff shortage. If face-to-face evaluations and treatments were necessary, preventive measures were followed to avoid hospital-associated contagion. Rehabilitation beds were cleared in order to leave them to the acute wards and consultations for the acute care patients were carried out using personal protective equipment. In the future, the lessons from our experience could contribute towards drawing a plan of measures applicable in similar situations and some of these actions could become part of the rehabilitative practice.