Last year, TIRR Systems saw some 1,200 inpatients and more than 75,000 outpatients. Numbers like these are a testament to the high quality of care TIRR provides. And this carries over to other TMC institutions as well. The Texas Medical Center is proud to provide such excellent health care not only to the Houston area, but also to the world. The care that the doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists and others in the rehabilitation field provide is unmatched.
Pain management is another important area of rehabilitation.
As of Jan. 1, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations is requiring all hospitals in the United States to regularly measure a patient's pain at the time of arrival, just as any other vital sign would be measured. Pain is assessed by asking patients to rate their pain on a scale of zero, no pain, to 10, the worst pain imaginable. Small children use pictures to rate their pain. The score determines the hospital's plan of action. According to the new standards, facilities must recognize patients' rights to appropriate pain assessment and management, record the results in order to facilitate individualized pain management, educate health care providers about pain management, establish policies and procedures that support ordering appropriate prescriptions and pain medications, ensure that pain does not interfere with participation in rehabilitation, educate patients and their families about the importance of effective pain management, include patients' needs for symptom management in the discharge planning process, and collect data to monitor the appropriateness and effectiveness of pain management.