Industrial (Hospital) Therapy in a Veterans Administration Hospital (Chest Center)

Observations of a Five Year Study

¹ Chief, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Administration Hospital

The industrial (hospital) therapy program has been in operation for the past five years with 250 participating patients. This is a form of activity which places patients in work areas within the hospital. The activity is in line with patients' post-hospital employment goals.

Criteria for selection of patients and organizational procedures are outlined. The specific patient benefits provided by the program are listed. Certain precautions and difficulties are mentioned.

The successful results stem from: (1) the coordinated efforts of the various disciplines of the rehabilitation team and the cooperation of the hospital non-medical personnel; (2) preliminary hospital survey of all available types of suitable work as well as preliminary orientation of the hospital personnel as to the purpose of the program; (3) concurrent enrollments of patients in the manual arts, educational and occupational therapy sections of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service to insure progressive acquisition of theory and skills for application in their work programs.

Although this study was done in a chest center, this industrial therapy program can readily be set up in a hospital with various types of disabilities and such a program lends itself to both short and long term patient treatment.