An unprecedented number of military and civilians are already in need of rehabilitation, both physical and psychological, and we need to integrate those people back into our society. To achieve this, we need more rehabilitation specialists, who must have fundamental knowledge, including International Classification of Functioning (ICF).
Recently, in order to fulfill this need, we held a webinar for teachers of higher education institutions called “The place of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health in the education of rehabilitation specialists”.
Why is it important to learn ICF?
First of all, it is a common language for various professionals involved in the rehabilitation and adaptation processes. “The ICF allows us to describe the functions, capabilities and disabilities of a person. Unlike ICD (International Classification of Diseases), which was used earlier, we are describing what a person can do,” Tetiana Baryshok, the national ICF trainer in Ukraine and the Board Chair of the All-Ukrainian Association of Physical Therapists, explained during the webinar.
“Finally, the focus of attention is shifting from the diagnosis to a specific person who needs rehabilitation. Finally, we are implementing a person-centered approach to rehabilitation. First and foremost, it is the patient and his/her relatives who should set the goal – to what level should the patient recover. And rehabilitation specialists should point out the path that the patient and their relatives should follow,” the First Deputy Minister of Health Serhiy Dubrov said during the webinar.
The Deputy Minister also called on the heads of higher education institutions be to prepare a curriculum for the application of evidence-based rehabilitation during this summer- so that students could receive new knowledge in the following academic year.
Furthermore, an online course from the NHSU Academy called “Basic Principles of ICF Application” was presented during this webinar, which can be taken by both current rehabilitation specialists and teachers of relevant specialties.
