A diverse healthcare team assists a patient with neurological recovery, symbolizing hope and progress.

Decoding the Day: How Neurorehabilitation Staff Spend Their Time

Jordan Keane in Health & Wellness November 2025 • 4 min read.

"A look into the daily routines and workload distribution in a neurorehabilitation hospital and its impact on patient care."

In the intricate world of healthcare, understanding how staff allocate their time is crucial for optimizing patient outcomes and ensuring efficient resource management. Neurorehabilitation hospitals, in particular, require a delicate balance of skilled professionals to provide comprehensive care for patients recovering from neurological conditions. But what does a typical day look like for these dedicated individuals? How much time is spent directly with patients, and how much is devoted to other essential tasks?

A recent study delved into these very questions, offering a detailed analysis of the activities undertaken by clinical staff in a neurorehabilitation setting. By employing the Work Sampling Technique (WST), researchers were able to track the allocation of time among various professional categories, including nurses, medical doctors, therapists, and health care assistants. This method provided a snapshot of daily routines, revealing the proportion of time spent on direct patient care, indirect support activities, unit-related tasks, and personal time.

This research is not just an academic exercise; it holds practical implications for nursing management, hospital administration, and healthcare policy. By understanding the nuances of workload distribution, hospitals can optimize staffing levels, improve patient care strategies, and address the economic challenges associated with neurorehabilitation. Moreover, it sheds light on how the severity of a patient's condition influences the demands placed on clinical staff, highlighting the need for tailored approaches to care delivery.

The Breakdown: How Time is Allocated in Neurorehabilitation

A diverse healthcare team assists a patient with neurological recovery, symbolizing hope and progress.

The study meticulously recorded 6,974 activities over 581 working hours, painting a clear picture of how different professionals spend their time. The findings revealed significant variations in workload distribution among the different categories of staff.

Here’s a closer look:

Nurses: Devoted 54.8% of their time to direct patient care, focusing on tasks such as medication administration, hygiene, and emotional support.
Therapists: Dedicated a significant 75.2% of their time to direct therapeutic interventions, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.
Medical Doctors: Allocated only 25.4% of their time to direct patient interaction, with a larger portion dedicated to indirect care activities like documentation and interdisciplinary communication (nearly 60%).
Healthcare Assistants: Split their time almost evenly between direct patient care (47.5%) and unit-related activities (40.6%), providing essential support to both patients and the nursing staff.

These statistics underscore the diverse roles played by each member of the neurorehabilitation team. Nurses and therapists are on the front lines, providing hands-on care and therapeutic interventions, while medical doctors focus on diagnosis, treatment planning, and coordination. Health care assistants ensure the smooth operation of the unit, assisting with both patient care and logistical tasks.

The severity of the Patient's Condition

Perhaps one of the most compelling findings of the study was the link between patient disease severity and the time spent in direct care. The research revealed that the more severe a patient's condition (as measured by the Barthel Index), the more time clinical staff dedicated to their direct care. For patients with the lowest scores on the Barthel Index, indicating a high level of dependence, staff spent an average of 6.5 hours per day providing direct care. In contrast, patients with higher scores, indicating greater independence, received approximately 4 hours of direct care.

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Everything You Need To Know

What is the Work Sampling Technique (WST) and how was it used in the study mentioned?

The Work Sampling Technique (WST) is a method used to track how clinical staff allocate their time across various activities. In the context of neurorehabilitation, researchers employed WST to observe and record the proportion of time staff spent on direct patient care, indirect support activities, unit-related tasks, and personal time. This technique provides a snapshot of daily routines, which helps in understanding workload distribution among different professional categories such as nurses, medical doctors, therapists, and health care assistants. The data gathered using WST is vital for optimizing staffing levels, improving patient care strategies, and addressing economic challenges in neurorehabilitation.

How does the time allocation of nurses, therapists, medical doctors, and health care assistants differ in a neurorehabilitation setting?

In a neurorehabilitation setting, nurses dedicate approximately 54.8% of their time to direct patient care, focusing on tasks such as medication administration, hygiene, and emotional support. Therapists spend a significant 75.2% of their time on direct therapeutic interventions, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Medical doctors allocate only 25.4% of their time to direct patient interaction, with a larger portion dedicated to indirect care activities like documentation and interdisciplinary communication, nearly 60%. Health care assistants split their time almost evenly between direct patient care (47.5%) and unit-related activities (40.6%), providing essential support to both patients and the nursing staff. These variations highlight the diverse roles each professional plays in patient care and unit management.

What is the Barthel Index, and how does it relate to the amount of direct care a patient receives in neurorehabilitation?

The Barthel Index is a measure of a patient's ability to perform activities of daily living and is used to assess their level of independence. In neurorehabilitation, the Barthel Index is used to correlate a patient's disease severity with the amount of direct care they require. Research indicates that patients with lower scores on the Barthel Index, signifying a higher level of dependence, receive more direct care from clinical staff. For instance, patients with the lowest scores may receive an average of 6.5 hours of direct care per day, while those with higher scores receive approximately 4 hours, reflecting the tailored approach to care delivery based on individual patient needs.

What are the implications of understanding workload distribution in neurorehabilitation for hospital administration and healthcare policy?

Understanding workload distribution in neurorehabilitation has several practical implications for hospital administration and healthcare policy. By analyzing how staff allocate their time, hospitals can optimize staffing levels to ensure adequate coverage and prevent burnout. This knowledge also informs the development of improved patient care strategies that are tailored to the severity of the patient's condition, leading to better patient outcomes. Furthermore, insights into workload distribution can help address the economic challenges associated with neurorehabilitation by identifying areas where resources can be allocated more efficiently. Ultimately, these insights facilitate evidence-based decision-making, enhancing both the quality and cost-effectiveness of neurorehabilitation services.

What indirect care activities do medical doctors focus on, and why is this allocation of time important in neurorehabilitation?

Medical doctors in neurorehabilitation primarily focus on indirect care activities such as documentation and interdisciplinary communication. They spend nearly 60% of their time on these tasks. Documentation involves recording patient progress, treatment plans, and other essential information, which is crucial for continuity of care and compliance with regulatory requirements. Interdisciplinary communication facilitates collaboration among different healthcare professionals, ensuring a coordinated and comprehensive approach to patient care. While medical doctors spend less time in direct patient interaction, their indirect care activities are vital for effective diagnosis, treatment planning, and the overall coordination of the neurorehabilitation team, ensuring optimal patient outcomes.