The development and application of a rehabilitation competency framework

Abstract

The rehabilitation workforce faces immense challenges, including shortages, unemployment, inequitable distribution, issues of quality, and a lack of recognition by policy makers, other health workers and the public. Yet rehabilitation plays an important role in health systems and can have a profound impact on people’s lives; its absence can result in unnecessary suffering and hinder participation in work, study and everyday life for individuals with a range of health conditions. The research on which this doctoral thesis is based focuses on how the application of competency frameworks in the context of national workforce evaluation can contribute to rehabilitation workforce development. Currently, rehabilitation-related competency frameworks are absent from many countries that would derive the most benefit from competency-based workforce development. The goal of this study was to develop a competency framework that can be adapted for use with rehabilitation workers from different occupations, specialisations and settings, and which can provide the foundation for the application of competency analysis in national rehabilitation workforce evaluation.