TENDENCIES IN DEVELOPMENT OF MEDICAL REHABILITATION, FROM PAST TO FUTURE

Abstract

A definition as stated by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in 1975 is: "Medical rehabilitation services can be defined as a coordinated multi - disciplinary approach to disability under a qualified physician who directs a plan of management for one or more of the categories of chronic disabling diseases or injuries, specifying realistic goals for maximal recovery". The Main rehabilitation principles include patient and family centeredness, a multidisciplinary approach and holistic attitude towards physical and mental health. From early in its development and until today, rehabilitation is represented as the third phase of medical care - after diagnosis and treatment. Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) is a growing and a developing discipline. Gutenbrunner et al wrote: "Various societal and medical trends, including the ageing of populations, the increasing number of people with functional limitations due to improving survival rates in different disease entities (e.g. stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple trauma) and the need of elderly workers to remain integrated in the workforce despite the presence of chronic illnesses, call for an increasing importance of rehabilitation in the future".