The history of physical medicine and rehabilitation as recorded in the diary of Dr. Frank Krusen: Part 3. Consolidating the position (1948-1953)

A Conversation Between Past and Present Chairs of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Four Decades of History and the Future of Board Certification

ABSTRACT

On the 75th anniversary of the founding of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 11 of the surviving chairs of the board convened virtually to reflect on the past 40 years of major trends for the accrediting body of physiatrists. The field rapidly expanded in the 1980s, driven by changes in the reimbursement environment. This rapid expansion drove an improvement in the caliber of residents choosing the field and in the quality of training programs. As physical medicine and rehabilitation evolved from a small- to medium-sized specialty, the board addressed many challenges: securing a credible position within the American Board of Medical Specialties; addressing a rising demand for subspecialty certification; improving training and exposure to physiatry; enhancing the quality of the accreditation process; and reducing the burden of accreditation on diplomates. The future development of physiatry includes improving diversity, equity, and inclusion, while restoring provider morale, well-being, and meaningfulness in work. Although challenges remain, physiatry as a field has grown to be well established through the board's efforts and respected within the larger medical community.

The Archivesof Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at 100: Its Development Set in Historical Context

The Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation was born as a radiology journal, and over its century of existence it has gone through various names and owners while shifting its contents from radiology to physical medicine to physical medicine and rehabilitation. These developments are sketched in light of the growth and eventual merger of physical medicine and rehabilitation in the United States and societal historical developments in the United States and elsewhere.

The emergence of medical professions of [re]habilitation and childhood: a history intertwined with theoretical tensions

This article is the product of a review of historical-critical literature that analyzes the global historical events during the 20th century that made the emergence and consolidation of the medical rehabilitation professions possible and an examination of the ways in which these professions approach childhood. The analysis of and reflections upon the reviewed documents are outlined below according to three theoretical tensions: 1) the child of today and the adult of tomorrow, 2) the meaning of habilitation-rehabilitation, and 3) the positioning of the subject in society. To account for the breadth of these topics, the text is divided into two sections: the first covers the first half of the 20th century, the period between the wars and the emergence of [re]habilitation, and the second covers the second half of the 20th century through the present, a period of political organization and technological advances. In the contemporary era, these views of [re]habilitation are confronted by the overwhelming reality of historical conceptions of childhood. The realities that children face today are diverse and complex; therefore, it is necessary to rethink the normalizing view of childhood that was instituted in the 20th century.

The history of physical medicine and rehabilitation as recorded in the diary of Dr. Frank Krusen: Part 4. Triumph over adversity (1954-1969)

This article, the last of four based on the diary of Dr. Frank H. Krusen, picks up the story of physiatry's conflict with other medical specialty groups within the American Medical Association. The conflict was focused on PM&R's use of the term "rehabilitation," but the underlying motive of groups opposing physical medicine was to limit the scope of physiatric practice. Dr. Krusen organized a well-documented and successful defense of the specialty and opened the door to the development of comprehensive care of persons with disabilities. Also related here are Dr. Krusen's legislative and public relations contributions to PM&R from 1963 until his retirement from Tufts-New England Medical Center in 1969. Dr. Krusen retired to Cape Cod and died there in 1973.