The Great War and Modern Health Care

Evolution of rehabilitation services in response to a global pandemic: reflection on opportunities and challenges ahead

The rapidly evolving COVID-19 public health emergency has disrupted and challenged traditional healthcare, rehabilitation services, and treatment delivery worldwide. This perspective paper aimed to unite experiences and perspectives from an international group of rehabilitation providers while reflecting on the lessons learned from the challenges and opportunities raised during the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss the global appreciation for rehabilitation services and changes in access to healthcare, including virtual, home-based rehabilitation, and long-term care rehabilitation. We illustrate lessons learned by highlighting successful rehabilitation approaches from the US, Belgium, and Japan.

Quantity and Quality of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clerkships in US Medical Schools

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to address two underreported issues in undergraduate physical medicine and rehabilitation medical education: quantity and quality of physical medicine and rehabilitation clerkships in US medical schools.

DESIGN

A multimethod sequential design was used to evaluate the curricula of US medical schools. Quantity (N = 154) of physical medicine and rehabilitation clerkships was assessed by counting the number of required, selective, and elective clerkships in each medical school. Quality (n = 13) was assessed by conducting a thematic analysis on physical medicine and rehabilitation clerkship curricula to identify learning objectives. These objectives were then compared with learning objectives in a model standard.

RESULTS

Whereas few medical schools required a physical medicine and rehabilitation clerkship, most offered elective rotations in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Most medical schools only included 6 of the 12 model standard learning objectives. Medical schools also included 29 learning objectives not present in the model standard.

CONCLUSIONS

Physical medicine and rehabilitation clerkships are not underrepresented but are underemphasized, in undergraduate medical schools. Furthermore, these clerkships use inconsistent learning objectives. Thus, findings suggest the need to draw attention to physical medicine and rehabilitation clerkships by offering them as selectives and to develop a list of standardized learning objectives. This exploratory study developed such a groundbreaking list and invites the physical medicine and rehabilitation community to test it.