Impact of distance on stroke inpatients' mobility in rehabilitation clinics: A shadowing study

Stroke inpatients in rehabilitation clinics are highly inactive in their free time and often depend on staff members to transport them to scheduled therapies. This study examines how distances between spaces in rehabilitation clinics impact patients' mobility. Seventy patients were shadowed over the course of one ordinary day in rehabilitation. Shadowing was accompanied by patient and staff questionnaires. Both patients and staff members described the labyrinthine built environment with long corridors that all look similar. Patients covered substantial daily distances in the clinics, and longer distances were significantly related to encountering more mobility barriers and dependence on staff. Compact layouts with vertically separate wards and main therapy areas resulted in reduced travel distances compared to more complex building layouts. Patients' mobility abilities were occasionally observed to change on different distances and even throughout the day. As distances result from the building's layout, greater attention needs to be paid to this aspect of the built environment in the early design stages. This is especially the case since other built-environment barriers were found to be intertwined with long distances. All patients may be independently mobile if distances between their most important areas (wards, therapy areas and dining spaces) are carefully planned.