Quality assessment and measurement of results in medical rehabilitation services – implications for persons with disabilities

Abstract

Health systems have as main goal the supply of quality medical services, which involves a variety of human, material and financial resources. The insufficiency or lack of some of these resources will result in diminishing the quality of medical care, with consequences on the health of patients.

In the domain of medical rehabilitation, patients have complex pathologies which require long-term treatments, teams of professionals consisting of rehabilitation doctors and other professional categories (kinesiotherapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nurses, speech therapists, psychologists, etc.) and specialized equipment. As one of the important goals of medical rehabilitation is to improve the functional status of patients, reliable and valid methods of performing functional assessment are necessary. Quality assessment and measuring outcomes of rehabilitation services provides insight into how they meet the needs of persons with various disabilities. Quality rehabilitation is a gain, both for the individual (improving functionality, increasing independence and quality of life) and for society.

The presentation of systems for assessment of rehabilitation programs and monitoring results from US health system support the rehabilitation professionals in our country for a better knowledge, understanding and use of them in medical practice, where possible.