Understanding the Rehabilitation Needs of Displaced Persons Course

Develop a comprehensive knowledge of the rehabilitation needs of displaced persons 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 for displaced persons and improve the functioning of individuals worldwide.

Already registered? You can now do the pre-course activities

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 the rehabilitation needs of displaced persons.
  • Who can take part - This course is aimed at health and social 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 - 5 September 2022 - 30 October 2022
  • Time commitment - Approximately 22 hours over 8 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. Pre-course information will be sent by email two weeks before the start date.
  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 seven courses, each being between 2 and 5 hours in length.
  4. All courses will be released on 5 September 2022.
  5. Participants will get a certificate for each course completed.
  6. Once all 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 13 November. After this date you will need a full Plus members account to submit your assignment.
  7. The course will be available to complete for free for 8 weeks until 30 October for all Trial members. After this date only full 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.
  8. The course will be available in English and Ukrainian languages

Introduction[edit | edit source]

People have always been on the move for a wide range of reasons, including war and conflict, insecurity, disasters, poverty, and to find work and seek a better life for themselves and their families.  But more people are now on the move than ever before in our history with migration increasing every year over the last two decades, but particularly forced migration. In 2021 89.3 million people were forced to flee their homes due to conflicts, violence, fear of persecution and human rights violations, more than double the 42.7 million people who were forcibly displaced a decade ago, and the highest level it has been since World War II. Current evidence suggests that this will continue to rise, with over 100 million people estimated to be displaced in 2022. [2]

Currently that means 1 in 88 people, or 1% of the world's population are displaced, which is just slightly less than a third of all migrants. During 2021, new displacement saw 1.7 million people cross international borders seeking protection, while 14.4 million people were displaced within their own countries. When we break down these numbers the greatest percentage of displacement occurs within a persons own country with 53.2 million internally displaced globally, followed by 27.1 million refugees, 4.4 million Venezuelans displaced abroad, 4.6 million asylum seekers and 4.3 million stateless persons. While there are similar numbers of males (51%) and females (49%) displaced, 41% of all persons displaced are children and young people, despite only accounting for 30% of the world's population.[2]

The need for rehabilitation services to meet the needs of displaced persons at each stage of the migration process is an urgent and growing global issue. The impact of forced migration on health and wellbeing 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 with low and middle income countries hosting 83% of all displaced persons, with 27% hosted in the least developed countries including Bangladesh, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Yemen,, which are often ill equipped to cope with these increasing needs for rehabilitation services. [3]

The role of the health and social care professional is key in the rehabilitation process for displaced persons and this series of courses provides a comprehensive perspective of rehabilitation and the competencies necessary to deliver quality care across the lifespan.for displaced persons.

Aim[edit | edit source]

To equip health and social care professionals and other rehabilitation related health systems stakeholders with a comprehensive knowledge of the rehabilitation needs of displaced persons within the current global context so they can play an effective and proactive role in global and local efforts to increase access to high quality rehabilitation for displaced persons at each stage of the migration process.

Intended Audience[edit | edit source]

This course is aimed at health and social 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:

  • identify the different types of displaced persons
  • describe the global context surrounding the migration of displaced persons
  • explain the impact of media portrayal on attitudes towards displaced persons
  • explore country specific knowledge about policy and legislation in the migration field to enhance understanding of the life situation of displaced persons
  • describe the impact of migration on health
  • identify health, functioning and disability stemming from the migration process
  • explain the common challenges displaced persons face in receiving optimal health care
  • identify three barriers to accessing healthcare for displaced persons
  • discuss the role of the Salutogenic Approach to Health & Wellbeing for displaced persons
  • design a self-care strategy to keep yourself safe and well when working with displaced persons
  • discuss how to cultivate cultural sensitivity in order to create a trusting therapeutic space and facilitate communication with patients and significant others.
  • explain the role that translators and interpreters play in facilitating optimal communication when working with displaced persons
  • identify holistic approaches to reduce the impact of trauma and address patient difficulties related to trauma and psychosocial issues
  • describe strategies to reduce barriers to interprofessional communication and facilitate effective interprofessional teamwork
  • discuss the role of a rehabilitation professional in a camp setting
  • describe the impact of forced migration on children and adolescents
  • explain the impact of forced migration on older persons
  • describe the impact of forced migration on members of the LGBTQIA+ community
  • discuss strategies to minimise barriers to culturally competent care for LGBTQIA+ displaced persons
  • explain the prevalence of sexual violence
  • describe the consequences of sexual violence and female genital mutilation
  • discuss why sexual violence occurs in conflict settings
  • explore practical strategies to calm the response of the nervous and limbic systems in displaced persons who have experienced sexual violence
  • explain what torture is and its impact on survivors
  • choose two appropriate treatment options for working with a survivor of trauma
  • describe techniques for building trust and creating a safe therapeutic relationship with survivors of torture
  • summarise the multidimensional nature of pain, its implications for displaced persons, and relationship to clinical interventions
  • describe the five main domains of the Pain and Disability Drivers Model (PDDM) that may be contributing to pain and disability
  • describe pain management strategies

Course Structure[edit | edit source]

This course will be divided into a number of separate 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 for the first three courses and 1 - 2 hours for the shorter courses 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: Global Context for Displaced Persons
  2. Course 2: Health and Wellbeing for Displaced Persons
  3. Course 3: Communication and Trauma Informed Care for Displaced Persons
  4. Course 4: Considerations for Working with Diverse Displaced Person Populations
  5. Course 5: Considerations and Practical Tools for Working with Survivors of Sexual Violence and Trafficking
  6. Course 6: Considerations for Working with Survivors of Torture
  7. Course 7: Assessment and Management of Displaced Persons with Pain
  8. 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.

Pre-course Competency Checklist[edit | edit source]

Please complete this self-rating form is help guide your learning process during this course. It will be a useful tool for your own reflection and to guide you when setting learning objectives. The attributes listed here are not exhaustive but provide a basis from which to plan your learning and have been identified in relation to learning opportunities relevant to this area of specialty and in relation to published practice guidelines.

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 13 November, after this date a full Plus members account will be required to submit an assignment. Marking of assignments will commence on Monday 14 November. Please note it may take up to 4 weeks to receive your results and feedback.

Cost[edit | edit source]

Free to all between 5 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 22 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!

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Physiopedia. Physiopedia MOOC 2022 | Sign Up TODAY | Understanding the Rehabilitation Needs of Displaced Persons. Available from: https://youtu.be/_qj5pibtq7c[last accessed 01/07/22]
  2. 2.0 2.1 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).Global Trends Forced Displacement in 2021. Available from: https://www.unhcr.org/62a9d1494/global-trends-report-2021 (accessed 24 June 2022)
  3. Cieza A, Causey K, Kamenov K, Hanson SW, Chatterji S, Vos T. Global estimates of the need for rehabilitation based on the Global Burden of Disease study 2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet. 2020 Dec 19;396(10267):2006-17.