Organization of Multilevel Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation in the Netherlands

This article gives an overview of medical rehabilitation in the Netherlands. It shows that Dutch rehabilitation is based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and organized in three different levels: rehabilitation medicine, geriatric rehabilitation, and monodisciplinary therapy. The author describes these three levels in their distinctive scopes and numbers. Together they operate as a coherent rehabilitation service system that reflects an important characteristic of the system of health care in the Netherlands: decentralized if possible and centralized if necessary. The system is accessible for all and it is organized in a way that simple medical problems can be dealt with close to home, whereas specialized treatment is concentrated in rehabilitation centers spread over the country. The rehabilitation facilities are embedded in the general health care system: it is easy for hospitals as well as general practitioners to refer patients to rehabilitation. In conclusion, the possibilities of further improving the system of medical rehabilitation and the application of Dutch experience in other countries are considered.