A Program for Rehabilitation of Patients with Tuberculosis

¹ National Jewish Hospital at Denver., Director, Department of Rehabilitation Services.
² National Jewish Hospital at Denver.

It seems fair to assume, on the basis of several years of preliminary experience, that a modern treatment program for tuberculosis should combine the effective use of all aspects of medical treatment, especially chemotherapy, early ambulation, and planned activity. It was observed that this program which emphasized the healthy aspects of the patient's emotional and social adjustment often served to counteract any tendency to become dependent upon the hospital. Vocational training, equipment, and prescribed physical activity were not considered enough. It was noted that the rehabilitation program became more effective when patients realized that they were being offered a real opportunity to be helped emotionally, socially, and/or vocationally.

It is our conclusion that it is not useful to employ the concept of the "typical" tuberculous patient. Attempts to understand tuberculous patients in terms of stereo-types can often be misleading. Rehabilitation planning should, therefore, be geared to meet the unique needs and personality differences of individual patients. This necessitates close cooperation between all members of the staff so that every aspect of the patient's life can be considered as part of "total treatment." Such a rehabilitation program as is described here seems to offer the best opportunity to prepare the hospitalized patient to return home as a productive citizen and with a greater degree of security.

Many of the barriers, which for so many years limited the scope of rehabilitation, have been removed under this approach. Should the results of this program be confirmed by careful follow-up studies, it is fair to conclude that we have entered a new era in the rehabilitation of tuberculous patients.