After a bad fall, Margaret Machuca, 80, spent some time recovering at St. Catherine Hospital in the Acute Rehabilitation Center. Daughter Susan, who lives in Indianapolis and sons Daniel and Wayne who live in Highland and Portland, Oregon, respectively, were able to view their mother’s progress and cheer her on every step of the way thanks to technology called RehabTracker.
RehabTracker is a phone app that enables the patient to view updates from their therapy team, track progress on areas of functional improvement and share the results with designated family and friends. Through a partnership with Kindred Hospital Rehabilitation Services (KHRS), this app has been made available to Community Healthcare System patients.
“My kids live far away and asked for the app,” Machuca says. “This way, I can have them see how I’m doing and how I’m progressing.”
“For patients who have had a stroke or an injury such as a hip fracture, RehabTracker enables them to view their goals, track progress and enhance communication in their support circle,” explains Muhammad Khan, physical therapist and program director, St. Catherine Hospital, where the device was first piloted by KHRS for the hospitals of Community Healthcare System.
“If a family member is going to be responsible for the patient’s care after they are discharged from the hospital, they need to know in advance what they can do and what tasks they will need help with,” Khan explains. “Keeping treatment focused on goals helps.”
For more information about the programs and services at the hospitals of Community Healthcare System, visit comhs.org.
