Effective rehabilitation requires a variety of services to address a patient’s specific needs. However, a lack of standardized reporting makes it difficult to compare and evaluate different rehabilitation programs. A study takes a step towards improving rehabilitation reporting by identifying the most important categories of services.
The Challenge of Reporting in Rehabilitation
The International Classification of Service Organization in Rehabilitation (ICSO-R 2.0) provides a comprehensive framework for describing rehabilitation services. However, its vast amount of detail can be overwhelming for researchers and service providers alike.
This study aimed to identify the most critical categories within ICSO-R 2.0 for a “minimum reporting data set.” This would streamline reporting while capturing the key elements of a rehabilitation program.
A Global Survey of Experts
Researchers used a Delphi survey, a method that gathers opinions from a panel of experts in multiple rounds. The panel included rehabilitation professionals from various disciplines and regions across the globe, including physicians, nurses, neuropsychologists, and physiotherapists.
Identifying the Most Important Categories
The Delphi survey involved two rounds:
- Round 1: Participants rated all categories and subcategories of ICSO-R 2.0 based on three criteria:
- Relevance to study outcomes: Does this category provide valuable information about patient progress?
- Distinctiveness: Does this category differentiate between different rehabilitation settings?
- Feasibility: Can this category be easily measured and reported by service providers?
- Round 2: Only categories meeting a specific threshold (rated as relevant, distinctive, and feasible by over 60% of participants) advanced to the second round for further evaluation.
Key Findings: Provider and Service Delivery Categories
The study identified several key categories for both the provider and service delivery aspects of rehabilitation:
- Provider:
- Human Resources: The expertise and qualifications of staff delivering rehabilitation services.
- Context: The broader social and economic factors influencing the rehabilitation program.
- Technical Resources: The equipment and technology available for rehabilitation.
- Quality Assurance and Management: The processes in place to ensure the quality of care.
- Location of Provider: Where the rehabilitation services are delivered (e.g., hospital, outpatient clinic).
- Ownership: Who owns or manages the rehabilitation service (e.g., public, private).
- Service Delivery:
- Target Group: The specific population the rehabilitation program is designed for (e.g., stroke patients, children with disabilities).
- Rehabilitation Team: The various professionals involved in delivering rehabilitation (e.g., therapists, nurses, social workers).
- Time and Intensity: The duration and frequency of rehabilitation sessions.
- Setting: The physical environment where rehabilitation takes place (e.g., gym, pool).
- Location of Service Delivery: Where the rehabilitation services are delivered (e.g., patient’s home, community center).
- Modes of Referral: How patients are referred to the rehabilitation program.
- Facility and Reporting & Documentation: The physical space and systems used for rehabilitation and documenting patient progress.
The Road to a Streamlined Reporting System
This study has identified key categories for a standardized reporting system in rehabilitation. The next steps involve further refining this list through discussions and voting at workshops and consensus conferences. Ultimately, this will lead to a more streamlined and informative way to compare and evaluate different rehabilitation programs, improving patient care and outcomes.
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