Access to health and rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities in Sierra Leone – focus group discussions with stakeholders

Magnusson, Lina; Kebbie, Ismaila; Jerwanska, Victoria

doi:10.1186/s12913-022-08366-8

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…8,9 In addition, discrimination, racism, and stereotyping may further limit the access of needed services, including for those living with chronic health conditions or disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, indigenous persons, and LGBTQ+ groups. [10][11][12][13] During the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the intersection of personal and environmental factors 14 may have further limited access to rehabilitation services. However, little is known about the characteristics of persons with disabilities or chronic health conditions who experienced unmet rehabilitation needs during these times of emergency in Canada.…”

Section: What Is Newmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research suggests that during nonpandemic times, high costs, long wait times, and geographical remoteness are barriers to accessing rehabilitation services 8,9 . In addition, discrimination, racism, and stereotyping may further limit the access of needed services, including for those living with chronic health conditions or disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, indigenous persons, and LGBTQ+ groups 10–13 . During the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the intersection of personal and environmental factors 14 may have further limited access to rehabilitation services.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Characteristics of Canadians living with long-term health conditions or disabilities who had unmet rehabilitation needs during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

DeSouza,

Wang,

Wong

et al. 2023

Am J Phys Med Rehabil

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective To describe the characteristics associated with unmet rehabilitation needs in a sample of Canadians with long-term health conditions or disabilities during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design Data from the Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians – Living with Long-Term Conditions and Disabilities, a national cross-sectional survey with 13,487 respondents. Unmet needs were defined as needing rehabilitation (i.e., physiotherapy/massage/chiropractic, speech therapy, occupational therapy, counselling services, or support groups) but not receiving due to the pandemic. We used multivariable modified Poisson regression to examine the association between demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related characteristics, and unmet rehabilitation needs. Results More than half of the sample were ≥ 50 years (52.3%), female (53.8%), and 49.3% reported unmet rehabilitation needs. Those more likely to report unmet needs were females, those with lower socio-economic status (receiving disability benefits or social assistance, job loss, increased work hours, decreased household income or earnings), and those with lower perceived general health or mental health status. Conclusions Among Canadians with disabilities or chronic health conditions, marginalized groups are more likely to report unmet rehabilitation needs. Understanding the systemic and upstream determinants is necessary to develop strategies to minimize unmet rehabilitation needs and facilitate the delivery of equitable rehabilitation services.

show abstract

Section: What Is Newmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of Canadians living with long-term health conditions or disabilities who had unmet rehabilitation needs during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

DeSouza,

Wang,

Wong

et al. 2023

Am J Phys Med Rehabil

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Persons with disability are often marginalised from accessing rehabilitation services, which increases their risk of living in poverty, being unemployed, and having less access to healthcare compared to the general population ( 19 ). The first-year students in the physiotherapy programme are introduced to the concept of disability through a transformative approach to disability awareness ( 20 ).…”

Section: Physiotherapy Students As Change Agents: Inclusion Diversity...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Access to physiotherapy services in South African settings: stretching a hand to under-resourced communities with students as agents of change

Sekome,

Sujee,

Tomes

et al. 2023

Front. Rehabil. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundPhysiotherapy is a healthcare profession that enhances human functioning and prevents further disability. In addition to this physiotherapy promotes health, wellbeing and the prevention of diseases. In South Africa, physiotherapy and rehabilitation services are largely accessed by those living in urban communities and those with private medical funding. Rehabilitation is an essential component of the package of care yet these services do not reach disadvantaged communities who vitally need them. Through the equitable provision of service-learning, physiotherapy students can play a vital role in improving rehabilitation access to vulnerable communities.AimThis paper illustrates how physiotherapy students studying at a South African university provide equitable services to disadvantaged rural and urban communities.DiscussionThe first and second years of study focus on theoretical and classroom-based learning where students gain an understanding of basic principles of inclusion, equity, diversity, and self-awareness. In later years, students provide community-based services in urban and rural communities with a focus on increasing access to rehabilitation services. The clinical objectives which students are required to fulfil are guided by principles of public health and community rehabilitation. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the issue of poor access to rehabilitation services and the case study we provide demonstrates the roles physiotherapy students played to fill this gap. The authors offer a reflection from their involvement in physiotherapy student training and provide an example of a moment which displayed equity, diversity, and inclusion in their career.ConclusionThere is a huge gap to fill in the provision of equitable rehabilitation services for the South African population. Institutions responsible for the training of physiotherapists, or any rehabilitation profession, should realize their role in service delivery through a service-learning approach.

show abstract

“…Wider adoption of digital solutions has the potential to improve access to rehabilitation services and avail more research opportunities, especially in LMICs where there is a greater burden and need for rehabilitation services [22,23]. Some of the challenges hindering the adoption of digital rehabilitation identified in sub-Saharan African countries include inadequate and underdeveloped infrastructures for power supply, internet coverage, and transport; the need to train more professionals and enhance patient literacy; the financial implications of transitioning to digital services for health institutions; and the affordability of smart devices for patients [14,24].…”

Section: Goal Of This Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Rehabilitation Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for a Scoping Review

Oduor,

Korniloff,

Gasana

et al. 2023

JMIR Res Protoc

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Estimations show that at least one in every 3 people in the world needs rehabilitation at some point in the course of their illness or injury. Access to rehabilitation services is an essential part of the continuum of care and is integral to achieving universal health coverage. However, most of the world’s population living in low- and middle-income countries, especially in the sub-Saharan African region, does not have access to adequate rehabilitation services. Wider adoption of digital solutions offers opportunities to support and enhance access to rehabilitation services in sub-Saharan Africa. A region where there is a greater burden and need for these services. There is also little published research about digital rehabilitation in sub-Saharan Africa, as it is an underexamined topic in the region. Objective This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the current evidence of digital interventions in rehabilitation implemented in any health, social, educational, or community setting in the sub-Saharan Africa region. Methods We will conduct a scoping review using Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework and follow the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews. We will develop search strategies for a selected number of web-based databases, search for peer-reviewed scientific publications until September 2023, and screen the reference lists of relevant articles. We will include research articles if they describe or report the use of digital interventions in the rehabilitation of patients with any health problem or disability in sub-Saharan Africa. For selected articles, we will extract data using a customized data extraction form and use thematic analysis to compare the findings across studies. Results The preliminary database search in MEDLINE (EBSCO) was completed in May 2023. The research team will conduct a search of relevant articles in the autumn. The results will be synthesized and reported under the key conceptual categories of this review, and we expect the final scoping review to be ready for submission in early 2024. Conclusions We expect to find gaps in the research and a lack of detailed information about digital rehabilitation interventions in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as potential areas for further study. We will identify opportunities to inform the development of digital rehabilitation interventions. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/48952

show abstract

Access to health and rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities in Sierra Leone – focus group discussions with stakeholders

Cited by 11 publications

References 22 publications

Characteristics of Canadians living with long-term health conditions or disabilities who had unmet rehabilitation needs during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Characteristics of Canadians living with long-term health conditions or disabilities who had unmet rehabilitation needs during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Access to physiotherapy services in South African settings: stretching a hand to under-resourced communities with students as agents of change

Digital Rehabilitation Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for a Scoping Review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About