Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Essentials (AIRES)
Care Process & Redesign
Workforce Transformation
National Healthcare Innovation and Productivity Medals
National Healthcare Group
26 December 2025
To redesign the OT/PT rehabilitation care delivery by implementing the Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Essentials (AIRES) as. The AIRES model showed significant results in reducing therapy costs and workload, and it will be extended to more inpatient wards at.
Year Submitted: 2025
Published Date: 26 December 2025
Tags: Care Process ＆ Redesign, Productivity, Cost Saving, Manhour Saving, Quality Improvement, Workflow Redesign, Workforce Transformation, Job Redesign, Trans-Disciplinary
About this Content
Aims
To redesign the OT/PT rehabilitation care delivery by implementing the Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Essentials (AIRES) as a transdisciplinary care model to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.
Background
As a tertiary hospital, TTSH manages 1,700 beds with a high demand for acute inpatient therapy services. There is a significant overlap in services provided by Occupational Therapists (OT) and Physiotherapists (PT), leading to inefficiencies.
Methods
An innovation workgroup was formed to curate AIRES. Baseline data was collected for 3 months prior to implementation in 7 wards, with post-implementation data collected from 1 Oct to 31 Dec 2023. Control data was gathered from standard multidisciplinary care wards.
Results
The average number of therapy sessions per ward reduced by 20.5% post-implementation. The average cost of therapy decreased by 42% for patients with basic rehabilitation needs. The median length of stay in transdisciplinary wards was reduced by 1 day compared to control wards.
A total of 97 OTs and PTs have been trained in the AIRES model, with 51 therapists actively deployed. The model supports inpatient rehabilitation care redesign and workforce transformation.
Conclusion
The AIRES model showed significant results in reducing therapy costs and workload, and it will be extended to more inpatient wards at TTSH and potentially other acute hospitals.
Lessons Learnt
Therapists perceived they could provide more holistic and patient-centric care with the upskilling. Building a collective vision of delivering better value care through interprofessional collaboration was essential.
Keywords
Rehabilitation, Therapy, Transdisciplinary, Cost Savings, Manpower
Innovators' Details
Innovators' Details
Healthcare Cluster(s) | National Healthcare Group |
Organization(s) Involved | Tan Tock Seng Hospital |
Platform(s) | National Healthcare Innovation and Productivity Medals |
Healthcare Professional Group(s) | Allied Health, Healthcare Administration |
Applicable Specialty or Discipline | Allied Health, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Healthcare Administrators, General Research |
Project Lead(s) | Quek Mei Sing, Stella Liew Chuan Hui |
Project Member(s) | Jiang Haiting |
Connect with this contributor!
Quek Mei Sing - mei_sing_quek@ttsh.com.sg
Stella Liew Chuan Hui - chuan_hui_liew@ttsh.com.sg
Project Attachment
665_TTSH_NHIP_2024_Acute_Inpatient_Rehabilitation_Essentials_AIRES.pdf