Economic Aspects of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for Health System

Abstract

Introduction: The distribution of health money from the budget and health care fund is a special obligation of each country and its government to ensure a healthy population, which will be able to contribute to the economic growth. While the health cake is shared among the branches that give or save life, the percentage given for rehabilitation is very low. The aim of our research has been to represent economic benefits of involving rehabilitation in all stage of health treatment. Material and Method: For material, we used several publications by the WHO, and medical researchers about rehabilitation in the 21st century and its economic parameters for the cost of treatment of diseases. Results: In the treatment of diseases, PM&Reha can be included in all conditions of the disease, and in all diseases, from the Intensive Care unit to the return home or in a specialized facility for residence. The analysis of spent funds is made taking into account the number of hospital days, occurrence of complications and quality of life with necessary funds for extended care. In all analyses, if rehabilitation is included, the cost of treatment on an annual basis is lower, especially if conservative treatment, which costs less, is used instead of surgery. Discussion: PM&Reha is one of the oldest but also one of the most modern branches of medicine, which is developing exponentially due to the advancement of technology from software programs in rehabilitation to robotics in rehabilitation. The commitments of the WHO are until 2030, in all countries of the world, to have PM&Reha implemented in the health systems. From an economic point of view, it is difficult to carry out without international interventions with finances and education of health workers. Conclusions: The inclusion of PM&Reha in all levels of health care can reduce the costs of treating the underlying disease by reducing hospital days and preventing complications that will require additional costs for their treatment.