Rehabilitation Medicine is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to individuals, including older people, with physical impairments or disabilities. Rehabilitation Medicine encompasses a full range of common and uncommon medical and surgical conditions seen in contemporary practice.
The rehabilitation medicine physician undergoes an extensive and unique blend of medical education, training and experience which makes them experts in:
- assessment and value-based management of people with impairment and disability
- leading an interdisciplinary team and designing coordinated, person-centred and individualised programs of goals-directed rehabilitative care
- providing a holistic approach
- providing integrated care with the individuals’ general practitioner and other healthcare providers
Unlike other medical specialties that focus on a “cure,” the primary objective of the rehabilitation medicine physician is to collaborate with the patient to help them achieve their optimal level of functioning, prevent and reduce functional loss and participate in society.