Table 1
Definitions of rehabilitation, disability and person-centered care
| Rehabilitation | A “set of interventions designed to reduce disability and optimize functioning in individuals with health conditions in interaction with their environment” [1]. Health conditions may refer to disease, disorder, injury or trauma, but may also include conditions such as pregnancy, ageing, stress, congenital anomalies or genetic predisposition [1]. Rehabilitation services may be accessed by people living with all types of health conditions, and is not limited to those who experience a disability [1]. |
| Disability | The World Health Organization (WHO) follows the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework in defining disability as an “umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions” [7]. Disability is the interaction of body function and structure, activity and participation in the context of environmental and personal factors upon an existing health condition [8]. Disability is a human rights issue encompassing stigmatization, discrimination and inequalities [7]. Individuals with disabilities continue to experience separation and/or segregation and exclusion in many communities around the world despite the work to shift towards community, educational and work inclusion. Persons with disability include people who are traditionally understood as disabled, such as persons who are wheelchair users, those who are blind or deaf, people with intellectual impairments or mental health conditions. It also includes the wider group of persons who experience difficulties in functioning due to a wide range of conditions such as non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, neurological disorders, injuries and conditions that result from the aging process [7]. |
| People-centered care | People-centered health services consciously consider perspectives of individuals, families and communities, and recognizes each as participants and beneficiaries of such services, while respecting their needs and preferences in a humane way. In so doing, people are educated and informed in order to be active participants in their care. People-centered care focuses on the holistic health needs and expectations of people rather than their disease [9]. (http://www.who.int/servicedeliverysafety/areas/people-centred-care/global-strategy/en/). |