Patients with complex diseases and impaired function is often dependent on facilitation and assistance from the health system, and this picture is supposed to describe how achieving the necessary measures for a patients independence and optimal daily function can become a heavy load on an individual. My thought behind this photo is to illustrate the impact and the burden on the individual patient, without a well-functioning system that takes care of the individuals overall needs. This blogpost will also highlight the importance of a health system that allows the patient to retain their independence despite the need for help in many areas.
National guidelines to insure independence
The health systems goal is to make the patient as independent as possible during the period of rehabilitation, and for patients having their life dramatically changed by for example severe illness of traumatic accidents, this requires interdisciplinarity and collaboration across services.
The quality of life of persons with chronic illness will also be influenced by efforts in other sectors, such as schools, education and working life, and by which social security benefits they receive. Access to assisitive technology, support and guidance is important for the chronically ill and others who are affected.
The national guidelines for rehabilitation in Norway describes the importance of coordinated units, whose goal is to help ensure comprehensive and coordinated services to patients and users in need of services from multiple disciplines, levels and sectors. The units overall responsibility for an individual plan and coordinator is essential. According to the guidelines, the unit should facilitate in making the patients and users overall needs a number one priority. Contributing to predictability, early planning and progress are central goals . The unit shall contribute to cooperation in the planning and organization of the habilitation and rehabilitation services, and should also facilitate user participation.
The coordinated unit is an example of how the health system in Norway provides support and care to patients and users in need of services from multiple diciplines, levels and sectors. It is also reassuring that the national guidelines emphasize the importance of the patients overall needs.
References:
Folkehelsemeldinga, (2019): Gode liv i eit trygt samfunn (Meld. St. 19 (2018-2019))
Helsedirektoratet. (2018). Veileder om rehabilitering, habilitering, individuell plan og koordinator (Veileder IS–2651). Hentet fra
One thought on “Stene, Tora. “Independence in rehabilitation””
Hey Tora
I have read through your draft assignment and I have to say I am impressed about the way you state your thesis. The way in which you include a coordinated way in which health system use to reach an optimum independence in rehabilitation. It has brought a great insight on my side; it is what we are told and taught here. To us the is a saying that two is better than one, another one is that alone I can do so little, but together we can do more. These statements I just gave is to support that I admire and support your views. I like the way how you incorporated the social approach in the matter on how the environment and community can be improved for those who are chronically ill, however I wish that you could have expanded in this matter since it is crucial for the patients independence after leaving the hospital.
I also had some difficulty trying to understand your picture and the content of the assignment. if I may explain a bit further, I am struggling to understand if this picture shows a lot of files means that the health team find it difficult to collaborate and work as a team to improve the patient’s independence in rehabilitation. Because each one of them is busy, to me this explains a work load that health professionals suffers with, in such an extent that it affect they’re effort on working as a team to a patient since each one has a lot of work to do thus this will make it not a well-functioning system and a burden for professional’s to work as a team.
The way in which you used the national guideline of rehabilitation in Norway is very accurate, yet I wish if you could have provided more insight in it, for example lets say include a bit of research or incident in which these system has used, multidisciplinary approach and the results were best, like more of supporting this idea(academic literature). The coordination of different sectors and the multidisciplinary approach to improving patient’s health and independency is well stated.
Finally, please try to improve in your spelling and drama, I have noticed a few mistakes not many its just need you to review your work again, try to make sentences shorter and stick in the main points. Other than that, you will be fine thank you for your work.