1 research outputs found
Towards a Core Set of Clinical Skills for Health-Related Community Based Rehabilitation in Low and Middle Income Countries
Purpose: This research aims to identify a core set of clinical skills for working in
a Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) setting, and to discuss whether they
are appropriate for task shifting to a new or an alternative cadre of rehabilitation
workers.
Methods: The study focused on work activities relating to the health component
of the CBR Matrix. 40 health professionals working in CBR in Low and Middle
Income Countries (LMIC) were surveyed to discover the clinical skills that were
used most frequently during the past 3 months and to determine which of these
skills were deemed most important in a CBR setting.
Results: A core set of clinical skills for health-related CBR work in LMIC
were identified: advocacy and sensitization; assessment, monitoring and
reporting; behavioral and cognitive interventions; collaboration and referral;
communication; continuing professional development; education; gait training;
group work; home-based rehabilitation; manual therapy; neurofacilitation
techniques; positioning; prescription of strengthening exercises; prescription of
stretching programmes; provision of aids, assistive devices and technologies;
psychosocial support; recreational therapy; self-care; sensory interventions;
supervision; upper body rehabilitation; vocational rehabilitation and working
with families.
Conclusions: It is possible to identify a core set of health-related CBR skills.
These may be considered in the development of training programmes for new or alternative cadres of CBR workers, using a task-shifting model including
appropriate support, supervision and referral mechanisms.
Implications: Further research is required to establish the generalisability of
the skills sets identified here, both across contexts and different client groups
and their needs. The identification of core sets of skills for other areas of the
CBR Matrix - livelihood, social, empowerment and education – could similarly
facilitate access to these domains for people with disabilities