Rehabilitation Service Assessment and Workforce Capacity Building in Albania—A Civil Society Approach

Abstract

Background: Rehabilitation is an important health strategy. Due to the lack of rehabilitation professionals (e.g., no physical and rehabilitation medicine, occupational therapist, and others) and lack of rehabilitation services (e.g., no multi-profession rehabilitation services in hospital, no post-acute rehabilitation services, no community-based rehabilitation services), the need to strengthen rehabilitation in Albania was pronounced. Therefore, this project aimed at rehabilitation service assessment and workforce capacity building in Albania. Methods: The World Health Organization’s Template for Rehabilitation Information Collection was used to collect available data related to rehabilitation services. Additionally, two site visits to different rehabilitation centers including interviews with relevant stakeholders were performed. A stakeholders’ workshop to prioritize recommendations was also performed before finalizing the report. Results: In Albania, rehabilitation service delivery, rehabilitation workforces, and financing in rehabilitation need to be strengthened. Conclusions: The project achieved the intended objectives. Additionally progress has been occurring in the development and implementation of the Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine specialization at the University of Medicine, Tirana.

Rehabilitation Capacity in South Africa—A Situational Analysis

“…The WHO TRIC tool facilitated the collection of comprehensive data on the country’s rehabilitation situation. This validated tool was previously used in LMICs to assess rehabilitation capacity [ 36 ]. Although South Africa is a high-middle income country, it is one of the most unequal countries globally.…”

“…A more explicit explanation of the relationship between functioning (primary outcome of rehabilitation) and morbidity (as an accepted indicator of health) may assist in explaining the contribution of rehabilitation to the health of the population. A recent study [ 36 ] conducted in the European region may offer valuable insights in this regard. Nugraha (2020) investigated the relationships between morbidity, functioning, and the subjective perception of health among a large cohort of Europeans.…”

“…Nugraha (2020) investigated the relationships between morbidity, functioning, and the subjective perception of health among a large cohort of Europeans. Their results suggested that morbidity and functioning problems both lead to poorer self-rated health, and that morbidity increases the probability of reporting functioning problem(s) [ 36 ]. The authors suggested that since their finding can be applied across cultures, it should be considered globally by health policy planners to advance health strategies such as rehabilitation, which is aimed at improving function.…”

“…Our participants suggested that evidence is needed to assist in explaining the role of rehabilitation to health policy makers. Primary evidence such as that provided by Nugraha et al (2020) [ 36 ] could, if communicated well, be useful in enhancing political awareness, interest, and much needed investment to improve the rehabilitation workforce and infrastructure in South Africa.…”

Phase-Adapted Rehabilitation for Acute Coronavirus Disease-19 Patients and Patient With Long-term Sequelae of Coronavirus Disease-19

“…45 However, rehabilitation is not a part of Universal Health Coverage in many countries. 46,47 Over the course of COVID-19, the symptoms and functional impairments evolve, and thus, rehabilitation approaches must be adapted to the various phases of the disease (Fig. 1).…”