Workforce

The rehabilitation workforce encompasses a wide range of occupations, who deliver care across the different levels of the health system, and in settings such as hospitals, schools, workplaces and people’s homes. Rehabilitation workers, regardless of their profession or specialization, aim to help a person function to the greatest extent possible, whether through modifying their environment to accommodate their needs, using assistive products, or working with the person to address a physical, psychological, cognitive or sensory impairment.

People can have very different rehabilitation needs, requiring the knowledge and skills of a range of different occupations. For this reason, health systems need to include a multidisciplinary rehabilitation workforce, that can address the full range of needs within the population. Typically, these occupations include audiologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, prosthetists and orthotists, speech and language therapists, and physical and rehabilitation medicine doctors, as well as specialized nurses, but there are various other professions that also help to deliver rehabilitation services.

Many countries experience overwhelming shortages of rehabilitation workers, as well as inequitable distribution and issues of quality that present a major challenge to achieving universal health coverage. WHO provides technical support to countries working to strengthen their rehabilitation workforce, and develops resources to support rehabilitation workforce evaluation, planning, education and training, and regulation through competency-based approaches.

Rehabilitation Competency Framework

Competency frameworks are a key tool for aligning the workforce with population needs. They can be used as a planning and communication tool, to develop curriculum, set regulatory standards, and develop performance management and recruitment resources, among other applications. The Rehabilitation Competency Framework (RCF) provides a reference framework that can be "adapted and adopted" by any rehabilitation professional group or specialization, and for any setting. The RCF is accompanied by 2 guides that support its uptake and use: 1) a guide for adapting it to specific contexts; and, 2) a guide for developing rehabilitation programmes and curricula. Collectively, these tools support competency-based approaches to strengthening the rehabilitation workforce so that it is prepared to meet the needs of populations.

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Guide for rehabilitation workforce evaluation

Evaluation and planning are important to building a workforce that can meet the rehabilitation needs of a population. The findings of a rehabilitation workforce evaluation inform the development of workforce policies, strategies, and action plans. The Guide for rehabilitation workforce evaluation (GROWE) provides a method and tools for collecting, analysing, and interpreting key rehabilitation workforce data. It uses labour market and competency analyses, engaging stakeholders across sectors and fostering their ongoing coordination and collaboration.

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