Health systems and policy research needed to strengthen the rehabilitation workforce

The development of rehabilitation occupations (that is, status of the workforce, number of paid jobs, quality of education and level of regulation, among others) lags far behind others in the health workforce in many, if not most countries in the world.1 The labour market failures experienced by the rehabilitation workforce are not unique, but are particularly profound, especially in low- and middle-income countries; they include inequitable distribution, inadequate quality, and paradoxically, both shortages and unemployment due to poor coordination and funding.2,3 While we generally understand how rehabilitation workforce challenges play out and can speculate as to their underlying causes, health policy and systems research is needed to understand what and how solutions can be implemented in different contexts. Here we present several reasons why the rehabilitation workforce has been largely neglected in health system strengthening efforts to date and suggest three health policy and systems research questions that need to be explored to inform policy actions.

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Campbell, J., J. A. Mills (2022) Health systems and policy research needed to strengthen the rehabilitation workforce. Bull World Health Organ. 2022 Nov 1;100(11):747-748. https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.22.289032