700 Section - A New Model of Intensive Inpatient Rehabilitation in Chile: Three-Year Experience of Functional Recovery Units in Low-Complexity Hospitals

Functional Recovery Units (URF), or medium-stay rehabilitation units, have demonstrated internationally their effectiveness in improving functional outcomes in people with acquired disability. In Chile, the Reloncaví Health Service has implemented an intensive inpatient rehabilitation model within low-complexity hospitals, based on interdisciplinary collaboration. This study consolidates the functional outcomes achieved over the first three years across five hospitals in the network.

Objective
To characterize the functional recovery of patients treated in five Functional Recovery Units within the Reloncaví Health Service between 2022 and 2025.

Design: A retrospective, multicenter hospital-based cohort study including all patients admitted to the URF program across five low-complexity hospitals between 2022 and 2025. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were extracted from institutional records. Functional outcomes were evaluated using the Barthel Index (BI) at baseline (pre-admission status), admission, and discharge. Descriptive analyses and paired comparisons were conducted. No sample size calculation was performed, as the entire eligible population was included.

Results: A total of 501 patients were included. Mean age: 67 years; 20% >80 years. Mean length of stay: 21.2 days. Admission diagnoses: stroke (53.6%), acute medical conditions (33.2%), postoperative patients (10%), and traumatic brain injury (3.2%). Mean BI: 92.8 baseline; 34.2 admission; 56.7 discharge. At admission, 55.8% presented total or severe dependence, decreasing to 26.6% at discharge (p < 0.001). Additionally, 53.4% were discharged with mild dependence or independence. In sociosanitary patients, severe dependence decreased from 72.2% to 38%, with 30.5% achieving mild dependence or independence.

Conclusion: The URF model maintains its initial positive impact and expands its reach across the healthcare network. This multicenter experience demonstrates feasibility and potential scalability at national and international levels, highlighting the key role of interdisciplinary rehabilitation in low-complexity settings.