A rehabilitation evaluation system which complements the problem-oriented medical record.

The traditional medical history and physical examination format is disease rather than disability oriented. It has been shown to be incomplete for the total evaluation of rehabilitation patients. Direct applications of Weed's Problem-Oriented Medical Record have proven to be formidable and cumbersome due to the complexity and diversity of rehabilitation. Therefore, we have developed the Rehabilitation Evaluation System (RES) to document functional rehabilitation management and progress during inpatient hospitalization and outpatient follow-up. The system identifies 18 key rehabilitation areas, each with an individual and objective four-point scale. Utilization of this system in our department has been invaluable in formulating goals and continually evaluating the on-going rehabilitation process. We used the RES with equal facility on 46 rehabilitation inpatients including stroke, amputation, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, orthopedic-trauma, rheumatoid arthritis and poliomyelitis. The mechanics of the RES are presented in detail with a specific patient-example of hemiplegia. Its complimentary use with the Problem-Oriented Medical Record is discussed. Practical advantages are seen in patient care, medical student and resident education, record keeping and research.