Abstract: Objective To explore the effective communication between therapists and inpatients during rehabilitation treatment. Methods The communication needs were evaluated among 150 inpatients, including stroke and spinal cord injury, following physical dysfunction in 7 aspects to determine the patient's psychological and demand conditions. Then, targeted and effective communication plans were developed and adjusted according to the individual changes of the patients at all stages of the pathogenesis and the patients' feedback information. Finally, the patients' satisfaction surveys were issued when the patients discharged. Results After effective communication was used, 98.5% patients felt satisfied with shortened hospital stay and satisfactory limb function. Compared with the previous patients, effective communication can significantly improve the outcomes and reduce the incidence of doctor-patient disputes. Conclusion Effective communication is helpful for the patients to understand the disease, which can enhance the rehabilitation of compliance and improve rehabilitation outcome.

Key words: communication, patients, rehabilitation, therapist, physical dysfunction