Physical rehabilitation programs for bedridden patients with prolonged immobility: a scoping review

Abstract

Bedridden patients usually stay in bed for long periods, presenting several problems caused by immobility, leading to a long recovery process. Thus, identifying physical rehabilitation programs for bedridden patients with prolonged immobility requires urgent research. Therefore, this scoping review aimed to map existing physical rehabilitation programs for bedridden patients with prolonged immobility, the rehabilitation domains, the devices used, the parameters accessed, and the context in which these programs were performed. This scoping review, guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute’s (JBI) methodology and conducted in different databases (including grey literature), identified 475 articles, of which 27 were included in this review. The observed contexts included research institutes, hospitals, rehabilitation units, nursing homes, long-term units, and palliative care units. Most of the programs were directed to the musculoskeletal domain, predominantly toward the lower limbs. The devices used included lower limb mobilization, electrical stimulation, inclined planes, and cycle ergometers. Most of the evaluated parameters were musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, or vital signs. The variability of the programs, domains, devices and parameters found in this scoping review revealed no uniformity, a consequence of the personalization and individualization of care, which makes the development of a standard intervention program challenging.