The Espanola Regional Hospital and Health Centre (ERHHC) has introduced a group-based rehabilitation program for patients recovering from total knee replacement surgery. The initiative is designed to maintain high-quality, evidence-based care while improving access to physiotherapy services across our community.
This initiative is a proactive response to the growing demand for outpatient rehabilitation services. It represents a system improvement designed to increase rehabilitation capacity and improve access to physiotherapy care for all patients. Post-operative joint replacement patients are a high priority and will always be seen as quickly as possible. By treating multiple patients together in a structured four to six-week program, our physiotherapy team can maintain the same high standard of evidence-based care while increasing capacity within the department. This approach allows us to provide timely rehabilitation for post-operative patients while creating additional opportunities to see patients requiring non-urgent care, whose wait times can often be quite extensive.
"I have had the opportunity to work within this treatment model at various organizations across the province, and the response is always very positive," says J. Malette, Physiotherapist. "Not only do patients achieve excellent post-operative outcomes, but they also have the opportunity to complete their rehabilitation alongside others who have experienced the same procedure. By offering a therapeutic group-based approach, we are able to use our time and resources more effectively while continuing to work toward reducing wait times for physiotherapy services in Espanola."
This group-based approach reflects provincial best practice recommendations from the Rehabilitative Care Alliance, which recognize that most hip and knee replacement patients can achieve excellent outcomes through community-based rehabilitation. As the number of joint replacement surgeries continues to grow across Ontario, healthcare organizations are increasingly adopting evidence-based models that support timely access to rehabilitation while maintaining strong clinical outcomes. Research has consistently shown that group rehabilitation delivers results comparable to individual physiotherapy in areas such as mobility, function, range of motion, and quality of life. Patients continue to receive individualized assessments throughout their rehabilitation journey, and those with more complex needs will continue to receive one-on-one care when appropriate.
Beyond the clinical benefits, the classes have also created a strong sense of peer support among participants.
"It's incredible to see someone come into their first class struggling with pain and feeling discouraged, only to have a patient who is five weeks into the program tell them, 'I was exactly where you are a few weeks ago,'" says L. Stephens, Physiotherapy Assistant. "That reassurance is powerful. Patients can see what progress looks like, and it helps build confidence in their own recovery journey."
The program reflects ERHHC's commitment to implementing evidence-informed models of care that improve patient access while maintaining the high standard of service our community expects.