Building Medical Rehabilitation System with Safety and Without Interruption for the Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 Using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM)

IntroductionCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an indication for rehabilitation medicine, especially in severe cases. However, there has been no systematic development of a safe and uninterrupted provision system of medical rehabilitation for patients and medical staff with COVID-19. The Functional Resonance Analysis method (FRAM) is used to analyze performance in a socio-technical system. In FRAM, each "Function" is viewed from six aspects : Input, Output, Preconditions, Resources, Control, and Time. These aspects define each Function and reveal connections between Functions. In this study, we analyzed a safe and uninterrupted provision system for medical rehabilitation--for severely ill COVID-19 patients using FRAM to prepare for possible problems in the future. MethodsThe subject of analysis was the provision system for medical rehabilitation for patients with COVID-19 at the Rehabilitation Center of Hyogo College of Medicine College Hospital. The analysis was conducted by dividing a 21-month rehabilitation period beginning April 2020 into 5 phases, and analyzing each phase using FRAM. The first four phases were retrospective analyses, and the fifth phase was a prospective analysis. ResultsOur results showed that the number of rehabilitation physicians, consultation systems, and full-time therapists was adjusted and the system providing rehabilitation was modified during each phase. DiscussionElements of Function, such as preconditions, control, and resources, require modification in each phase. In the process of adding and deleting these elements, it became clear that it was necessary to deal with new characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Retrospective system analysis using FRAM may contribute to the planning of measures necessary for the implementation of rehabilitation medicine prospectively.