Understanding Rehabilitation as a Health Strategy Course

Develop a comprehensive knowledge of rehabilitation as an essential health service within the current global context so you can play an effective and proactive role in global and local efforts to increase access to high quality rehabilitation care and improve the functioning of individuals worldwide.

General Course Information[edit | edit source]

  • Course Type - Free, Open, Online
  • Course Coordinators - Rachael Lowe, Naomi O'Reilly
  • Institution - Physiopedia & ReLAB-HS
  • About this course - This online course will develop knowledge of physical rehabilitation as an essential health service.
  • Who can take part - This course is aimed at health care professionals, clinicians, students and assistants; and rehabilitation related health systems stakeholders. Others interested in this subject are more than welcome to participate.
  • Date of course - 13 Sept 2021 - 10 Oct 2021
  • Time commitment - Approximately 16 hours over 4 weeks (optional extra 8 hours)
  • Language - the main course language will be in English, we will translate into other languages as demand requires.
  • Requirements - Participants will complete online learning activities, engage with additional resources, take part in the conversation online and complete the course evaluation.
  • Assessment - There will be a final quiz.
  • Awards - Plus completion certificate and CPD points.
  • Accreditation - the course will be accredited in the USA, Australia and South Africa and is formally accepted without accreditation as a professional development activity by many other countries. If you would like this course accredited in your country please contact [email protected]
USAID-ReLAB.png
This MOOC is a collaboration between Physiopedia and the USAID funded Learning, Acting, and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS). ReLAB-HS is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is implemented under cooperative agreement number 7200AA20CA00033. The consortium is managed by prime recipient, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Quick Overview[edit | edit source]

  1. On 30 August pre-course information will be sent by email.
  2. The programme of courses will be available through our online learning platform - Plus (you will need a free trial account).
  3. This programme is divided into four short courses, each being approximately 4 hours in length.
  4. Starting 13 September, one course will be released each week for four weeks.
  5. Participants will get a certificate for each course completed.
  6. Once all four courses are completed, there will be an opportunity to submit an assignment to complete the programme and receive the full programme certificate. If you have a trial account you will be able to submit your assignment up to 24 October. After this date you will need a Plus members account.
  7. The course will be available to complete for free until 24 October. After this date only Plus members will be able to complete the full programme and refer back to any of the resources at any time in the future (people in low and low-middle income countries can get free access).

Introduction[edit | edit source]

The need for physical rehabilitation services is an urgent and growing global issue. According to a recent report, 2.41 billion individuals worldwide live with conditions that would benefit from rehabilitation services, with approximately 1 in 3 individuals requiring rehabilitation services throughout the course of their illness or injury. The proportion of the worldwide population over 60 will double in the next 30 years, the majority of whom will live with chronic diseases, particularly noncommunicable diseases. There are also approximately 150 million children and adolescents who experience disabilities, and injuries for people of all ages are becoming more frequent due to conflict, rapid urbanisation and motorisation. These changing health and demographic trends are contributing to rapid global increases in the numbers of people experiencing decline in functioning, resulting in enormous unmet rehabilitation needs. Much of these unmet needs are concentrated amongst the poorest and most vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries and conflict-affected settings, which are often ill equipped to cope with these increasing needs for rehabilitation services.

Rehabilitation is the care needed when a person is experiencing or is likely to experience limitations in everyday functioning due to ageing or a health condition, including chronic diseases or disorders, injuries, or trauma. It is an essential health service to optimise everyday functioning and ensure the highest possible standard of health and well-being. As health systems progress towards universal health coverage and encounter growing challenges of rising prevalence of noncommunicable diseases, ageing populations, and the consequences of health emergencies, the importance of a strong rehabilitation workforce becomes more apparent than ever. The role of the health and social care professional is key in the rehabilitation process and this series of courses provides a comprehensive perspective of rehabilitation and the competencies necessary to deliver quality care across the lifespan.

Aim[edit | edit source]

To equip health care professionals and other rehabilitation related health systems stakeholders with a comprehensive knowledge of rehabilitation within current global context so they can play an effective and proactive role in global and local efforts to increase access to high quality rehabilitation.

Intended Audience[edit | edit source]

This course is aimed at health care professionals, clinicians, students and assistants; and rehabilitation related health systems stakeholders. Others interested in this subject are more than welcome to participate.

This may include but is not limited to Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Rehabilitation Doctors, Rehabilitation Nurses, Prosthetists, Orthotists, Psychologists, Audiologists, Dietetics, Social Workers, Community Health Workers, Nurses, Medical Doctors, Managers, Researchers, Educators, Minsters of Health and their staff, Carers, Patients.

Learning Objectives[edit | edit source]

At the end of this course you will be able to:

  • Explain what is meant by the term rehabilitation
  • Describe conceptual models related to rehabilitation based on a case study
  • Discuss the demographic trends triggering the growing need for rehabilitation
  • Describe five benefits of rehabilitation
  • Discuss Rehabilitation 2030 and three recommendations
  • Describe health equity through a disability and intersectionality lens
  • Identify three factors leading to exclusion and inequities in health care
  • Explain the key components of inclusion
  • Correctly describe the concept of Universal Health Coverage
  • Describe the scope of rehabilitation in a health system
  • Explain the role of the interdisciplinary team in rehabilitation services
  • Describe the roles of five common team members within the rehabilitation team
  • Describe the actions rehabilitation providers can take to manage and improve services
  • Discuss the general impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on rehabilitation services
  • Describe the different ways rehabilitation frameworks are used and the design features associated with different framework applications
  • Justify the use of different therapeutic interventions depending on the treatment goal for a patient
  • Choose an appropriate set of interventions that could be included in a rehabilitation management plan of a patient

Course Structure[edit | edit source]

This course will be divided into 4 separate short courses, which together with the final assignment make a programme. Each course can be done as a stand alone course and it is suggested (but not required) that each course be completed over the duration of approximately a week and completed in succession. Please note that there are no synchronous sessions and no deadlines are applied, this programme of courses can be started and completed according to your own schedule. We expect the required elements of each course to take around 4-6 hours depending on your pre-existing knowledge and learning style. Additionally there are many optional resources provided and if you choose to review these the course could take significantly longer to complete.

It’s not going to be easy, we’ll expect you to work hard for your completion certificate! You won’t be sitting back and watching webinars, we’ll expect you to undertake reading tasks, complete quizzes, perform literature searches and other learning activities. You’ll need to reflect on your own experiences and make written contributions to the discussion forum. This forum is where we can learn from each other’s experiences and knowledge from all around the world. At the end of the course, when you have completed all of the required elements, you will be able to download a certificate of completion and 16 professional development points will be added to your personalised learning dashboard in Plus.

Course Outline[edit | edit source]

This programme is made up of the following courses followed by a written assignment. Each course has a separate completion certificate and completing the assignment is optional:

  1. Course 1: Introduction to Rehabilitation
  2. Course 2: Rehabilitation Governance and Health Systems in a Global Context
  3. Course 3: Rehabilitation Infrastructure and the Rehabilitation Team
  4. Course 4: Rehabilitation Frameworks and Interventions
  5. Optional Assignment (to complete the full programme)

Types of Learning Activities[edit | edit source]

Reading Physiopedia pages, journal articles, book chapters. Watching videos. Attempting quizzes. Participating in an international discussion forum.

Certificates and Assignment[edit | edit source]

On completion of each course you will receive a certificate. Once all four courses are complete, there will also be an option to submit an assignment at the end of the programme to receive the full programme certificate.

Assignment submissions will be accepted up to 24 October, after this date a full Plus members account will be required to submit an assignment. Marking of assignments will commence on Monday 11 October. Please note it may take up to 4 weeks to receive your results and feedback.

Cost[edit | edit source]

Free to all between 13 September and 30 October; continued free access to all full Plus members (people in low and low-middle income countries get free Plus membership).

Where[edit | edit source]

This is a completely online course which will take place in Physiopedia's complimentary e-learning platform Plus . You will need to set up a FREE trial account to access the course, you can do that here (no credit card needed).

Time Commitment[edit | edit source]

Completing this course will involve approximately 16 hours of learning activities that can be completed online at any time that suits you. There are no specific times that you are required to be online.

Language[edit | edit source]

This course will be in English. Although participants will only require basic English skills (reading skills are more important than conversational skills). Transcriptions and captions will be made available to assist people whose first language is not English. Participants will be encouraged to be respectful and empathetic to those for whom English is not their first language (e.g. in the discussion forum).

We will aim to translate into other languages as demand requires.

Accreditations[edit | edit source]

The course will be accredited in the USA, Australia and South Africa and is formally accepted as a professional development activity by many other countries.

On the successful completion of this course each participant will be provided with a Plus certificate of completion and Plus points (which are equivalent to CPD points/CEUs). These will be awarded provided you:

  • Be part of the Physiopedia Plus Community Culture.
  • Log as completed all the required learning activities.
  • Actively and appropriately participate in the course discussions.
  • Pass a final quiz with a score of 80% or more.
  • Complete a course evaluation form.

Still Have Questions?[edit | edit source]

You may find the answer here!

  1. Physiopedia. Physiopedia MOOC 2021 | Sign Up TODAY | Rehabilitation as a Health Strategy. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEDWF2rmMSU[last accessed 15/07/2021]