Determination of the medical and social levels of disability as a basis for successful comprehensive rehabilitation.

Introduction and objective: In every society there are people who have the legal or biological status of a disabled person. There are 1.3 billion people worldwide who require assistance and support at every stage of their medical treatment and rehabilitation. Their social needs are underestimated, which reduces their quality of life. The aim of the review is to identify the types of medical and social problems encountered by the disabled, the importance of their extent and level of interdependence, defined by the tasks of comprehensive rehabilitation in order to maximise the independence of people with disabilities.

Review methods: A review was conducted of scientific literature in English, German and Polish covering the years 1980-2024 on the rehabilitation process with regard to medical and social needs. The following key words were used in the research in PubMed, PubMed Central and Google Scholar databases: disabled people, interdependence of medical and social needs, rehabilitation process.

Brief description of the state of knowledge: Disabled persons, especially the most severely disadvantaged, are among the most excluded groups in many countries. They are marginalised in both social and working life. Fundamental support for people with disabilities involves the full implementation of comprehensive rehabilitation that takes into account both medical and social needs. The majority of scientific works deal with the medical side of disability. Rehabilitation is not always accessible to disabled persons, especially those living in small towns and villages.

Summary: People with disabilities require much more support in terms of social and vocational rehabilitation. Their level of participation and improved quality of life is ensured by well-organised comprehensive rehabilitation.