Client participation in medical rehabilitation for adults with severe disabilities

Abstract

The Social Insurance Institution (SII) of Finland arranges medical rehabilitation for people with severe disabilities. The rehabilitation process requires collaboration between the client and several organizations and professionals. The study aimed to find out what kind of experiences persons with disabilities had on their possibilities of participation in the planning and process of rehabilitation, and what factors were associated with the degree of their participation in the rehabilitation process. The study group was chosen using stratified sampling from among rehabilitation clients. The data were gathered using a questionnaire survey. Over half of the clients reported having participated actively in the rehabilitation planning and most found that their opinions had been taken into account at least fairly well during the planning phase. The results indicate that special attention should be paid to developing client-driven approaches in the rehabilitation system and to supporting the participation of clients who have difficulties in expressing their needs because of their illness, disability, or educational and social backgrounds.

Finnish Rehabilitation Counselors Assessing Their Interaction With Clients and Their Clients’ Interaction With Other Professionals and the Family

“…Several studies have identified paternalistic attitudes in many professional groups especially when making medical decisions (Lamont, Jeon, & Chiarella, 2013). A Finnish study (Järvikoski, Puumalainen, & Härkäpää, 2013) showed that although most clients with severe disabilities felt that they had been heard during their rehabilitation process, there were differences between client groups in their possibilities of being heard. According to the study, more attention should be paid to those clients who have, because of individual or system-based reasons, special difficulties in bringing forth their needs.…”

Representing Inclusion of People With Disabilities: Analysing Discourses in a Mixed-Methods Study

“…Participants, especially younger ones, exhibited higher participation levels in education, arranged daily activities, organisational activities and hobbies. Considering the goals of full participation by people with disabilities, the participants' participation was unevenly distributed, and nonparticipation was cumulative (see also Järvikoski et al, 2015).…”

“…Haarni, 2006). According to recent Finnish research, the participation of people with severe disabilities especially needs greater attention (Järvikoski et al, 2015). In research based on interviews of people with disabilities, Hammel et al (2008) concluded that participation is individual but also entails various shared values, such as respect and dignity, as well as rights and responsibilities.…”

Looking for a ‘cure’: negotiating ‘walking’ in a Turkish rehabilitation hospital

“…This literature broadly concentrates on three areas. First, especially in Scandinavian countries, emphasis rests on client participation in rehabilitation, sometimes referred to as 'user involvement' (Petersen et al 2012) or 'client-driven services' (Järvikovski, Puumalainen, and Härkäpää 2015;Virtanen et al 2011). In this context, children's participation in paediatric rehabilitation is discussed in particular (Bekken 2014a).…”