WHO Rehabilitation programme
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Rehabilitation 2030 is the strategic approach for meeting global rehabilitation needs in health systems. It is a call for action, articulated as 10 priority areas, to scale up rehabilitation so that countries can be prepared to address the evolving needs of populations up to 2030.

All available and forthcoming WHO tools and resources for rehabilitation may be accessed through the “Our work” section of the website here. 

Yes. WHO rehabilitation publications are often available in in selected UN languages. To access the translated versions of each resource, find the publication or resource of interest and under “read more”, you will find the translations that are available.

Do you have any guidance for countries who want to develop a Rehabilitation Strategic Plan?

Yes. The Rehabilitation Guide for Action (RGA) is a resource that assists countries to develop a comprehensive and coherent strategic plan through a 4-phase process of (1) situation assessment; (2) strategic planning; (3) development of monitoring, evaluation and review processes; and (4) implementation of the strategic plan.

The WHO Package of Interventions for Rehabilitation will be a resource that outlines evidence-based interventions and related information to facilitate budgeting and planning the integration of rehabilitation at all levels of the health system.

In addition to this, the Basic Rehabilitation Package will be a resource that outlines how a limited set of prioritized interventions for rehabilitation can be delivered in primary care. The Package of Interventions for Rehabilitation and Basic Rehabilitation Package will be available online in February 2023 and mid-2023 respectively,

Advocacy is critical for increasing the demand for rehabilitation and in turn meeting the needs for rehabilitation in countries. The World Rehabilitation Alliance (WRA) provides a platform for a diverse set of stakeholders to collaborate and advocate for rehabilitation. For further information on how to get involved, membership, and the terms of reference of the WRA, please visit the website here.

WHO currently has two resources that support countries to strengthen their rehabilitation workforce, and to guide rehabilitation workforce planning, education and training, and regulation through competency-based approaches. These resources are:

• Rehabilitation Competency Framework (RCF), and
• Guide for Rehabilitation Workforce Evaluation (GROWE).

WHO has published several documents that are relevant to various stakeholders including programme planners, decision-makers, clinicians, households, institutional settings and the general public.

WHO has published recommendations for the clinical management of COVID-19 here. This living guideline includes recommendations for rehabilitation in the clinical management of people with COVID-19 and post COVID-19 condition.

WHO also offers a free OpenWHO.org training course on "rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19" which is targeted at health care workers. Access this training course here.

Additional resources and information on the work of WHO on rehabilitation and COVID-19, including a scientific brief on the rehabilitation needs of people recovering from COVID-19 and a patient leaflet for the self-management after COVID-19 illness, can be found here.

What resources are available relevant to assistive products?

The WHO Rehabilitation programme integrates assistive products within all its tools for rehabilitation system strengthening. Assistive product provision is integral to rehabilitation and the WHO rehabilitation programme works closely with the  Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE). 

Is rehabilitation relevant in emergency preparedness and response?

Yes. Emergencies (such as conflicts and disasters) in particular those that cause surges in injuries or critical illness, create enormous surges in rehabilitation needs. By ensuring that those who are injured or unwell achieve the best possible health and functioning outcomes, rehabilitation professionals can play a vital role in emergency responses.

To read more on how WHO is supporting the integration of rehabilitation into emergency preparedness and response, click here.

WHO has developed and is pilot testing a Rehabilitation Module for the District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2). In addition, WHO is working toward the development of rehabilitation indicators to include in population-based surveys in order to assess rehabilitation coverage and population functioning in a given geographic area.

For other information on rehabilitation information sources within health information systems, please click here.

WHO in collaboration with the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research and the WHO Bulletin published a theme issue on strengthening rehabilitation through health policy and systems research. To access the theme issue visit our website here.

In addition, the WHO Rehabilitation programme is driving the use of rehabilitation information arising out of routine health information systems, population-based surveys and health facility assessments.

If you have any further questions, or would like additional information, please send an email to rehabilitation@who.int

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