The Emergence of the Rehabilitative Strategy: The driving forces in the United States of America

Abstract The aim of this essay is to show the impact that driving forces have had on the emergence of rehabilitation as a health strategy in the USA. Specifically, this essay 1) identifies the driving forces that have addressed the development of rehabilitation, 2) examines how the rehabilitative strategy has been driven by the driving forces through turning points and facilitators, and 3) identifies the barriers of each force against the development of rehabilitation. Critical and scoping review of the literature was conducted from the late 1910s until the end of the century. War, economy, the power of the state, and science were identified as the driving forces that led rehabilitation to become a health strategy complementing prevention, promotion, cure and palliation. WWI and WWII played as a stimulus for rehabilitation, federal funding facilitated its development, acts, amendments, and governmental programs enabled its implementation, and the acknowledgment of PM&R as medical field contributed to its international recognition as health strategy. WHO's ICF is also identified as an emerging facilitator of rehabilitation. Based on the example of USA, this paper closes with recommendations toward the implementation of rehabilitation as a health strategy in countries where so far this has not occurred. Correspondence: All correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to: Gerold Stucki, Swiss Paraplegic Research, Guido A. Zäch Strasse 4, 6207 Nottwil, Phone +41 41 939 65 70, Fax +41 41 939 65 77, E-Mail gerold.stucki@paraplegie.ch Author disclosures: Financial disclosure statements have been obtained, and no conflicts of interest have been reported by the authors or by any individuals in control of the content of this article. No funding was received for this study. Copyright © 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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