Can we associate the hours of clinical services at the rehabilitation outcomes? The case of the visual impairment rehabilitation program.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects on the elderly of clinical interventions by professionals from a visual impairment rehabilitation program, more specifically, the effects on their daily life and the extent to which such interventions encourage social participation. In accordance with the conceptual framework of the Disability Creation Process, the clinical results of a population study group of 100 persons with various types of visual impairment enrolled in a rehabilitation program were analyzed as per the intensity of the clinical interventions (eg, hours of clinical services provided and dispensed by professionals). The results of the study tend to show that the hours of services accorded to a patient positively contribute to the progression of his or her Functional Global Profile as per the rehabilitation outcomes progression measures. In contrast, age and the spreading of services negatively contribute. The contributions of the study are innovative for assessing clinical effectiveness. For instance, the understanding of the relationship between the measurement of a patient's clinical results and the services that he or she has received should help us improve the practices and methods used in visual impairment rehabilitation.