The total number of studies was well above 8,000, which the team had to get through over a period of about four months.The World Health Organization’s Rehabilitation in health systems provides a framework for strengthening health systems to develop, expand and improve the quality of rehabilitation services—particularly in the low- and middle-income countries around the world where 80 per cent of people with disabilities and disabling health conditions reside. The team then went through the results to filter out studies that were duplicates or not relevant. Rehabilitation also includes making changes to the individual’s environment – for example, by installing a toilet handrail. Eighty per cent of these individuals live in a low- or middle-income country where rehabilitation services—services to help them function to the best of their ability—are wanting or even non-existent.That’s why strengthening rehabilitation is emerging as a key challenge facing health systems in the 21st century, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Studies were excluded if the study population (for example, infants) or the health conditions studied (for example, obesity or addiction) were outside the parameters of the guideline questions.After that came the time-consuming work of assessing the studies for quality. “We had to search the literature and review every single study available up to a certain date on any kind of rehabilitation, for any health condition—physical and mental, and across different phases of the condition—and in any context or setting,” she notes. Rehabilitation definition is - the action, process, or result of rehabilitating or of being rehabilitated: such as. Were the studies subject to risk of bias (for example, lack of true randomization in a randomized controlled trial)? But barrier removal initiatives at societal level, such as fitting a ramp to a public building, are not considered rehabilitation in this Report.

In February, the global body released its report.Aimed primarily at low- and middle-income countries, the guidelines in the report set out evidence-based recommendations to help government leaders and health policy-makers develop or extend rehabilitation services and deliver them equitably at all levels of health systems.Rehabilitation, as defined by the WHO, refers to the measures that help individuals with a disability or a disabling health condition achieve and maintain optimum functioning in interaction with their environments. Rehabilitation is instrumental in allowing people with functional limitations to remain in or return to their home or community, live independently, and participate in education, work and civic life.The role of the IWH team, headed by Scientist Dr. Andrea Furlan, was to provide a synthesis of the available research evidence on a host of questions.For example, should rehabilitation services be integrated into the health system or into the social or welfare system or equivalent? provision of rehabilitation services. Should a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation workforce be available, or should a single profession such as physiotherapists deliver rehabilitation? “Having the systematic review program in existence these many years at IWH has resulted in an in-house expertise that enables projects such as these,” says Furlan. These were just a few of the many questions the team considered at this stage.The Institute’s depth of experience in these methods was a big reason why the team could pull off a project on this scale, says Furlan. According to 2011 data, one in seven people around the world lives with a disability. “It might take 25 to 30 years for these recommendations to be implemented, but the world would be a better place if these people have the rehabilitation services to enable them to participate in life, in the workforce, in leisure activities—and to be productive members of society.She adds that the project was an important achievement for the IWH team. Further, the group broadened the appraisal method to also consider the values, preferences, acceptability and feasibility of outcomes and interventions as they developed the recommendations.The result of this work is a quality document that Furlan hopes will have a far-reaching impact in offering guidance to countries around the world on how to improve the lives of people with disabilities and health conditions.“This could affect one billion people,” she says. not peer-reviewed) literature for studies that addressed these and several other questions.The search had to be systematic—and broad—to make sure no relevant studies were left out. They also considered indirect evidence, including evidence provided by members of the Guideline Development Group. Rehabilitation reduces the impact of a broad range of health conditions. The first five are informed by IWH’s literature synthesis.To Furlan’s credit, notes IWH Director of Research Operations Emma Irvin, who was also a member of the research team, a few researchers from low- and middle-income countries had been recruited into the team, providing important perspectives at all stages of the project. For example, rehabilitation work after a stroke may help the patient walk and speak clearly again. How to use rehabilitation in a sentence. IWH systematic review team provided evidence to inform WHO’s new roadmap for improving integration of people with disabilities and disabling health conditions.According to 2011 data, one in seven people around the world lives with a disability. “We have shown through this project and others that IWH is able to deliver high quality research in a timely fashion to any interested party that needs it.Stay up to date on the latest research, events and news.We are an independent, not-for-profit organization.