Understanding Challenges faced by Rehabilitation professionals using Digital Rehabilitation in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda
Iserhienrhein, Isoken (2024)
2024
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024052917409
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024052917409
Tiivistelmä
Digital Rehabilitation is an emerging field where digital solutions and innovations are used by rehabilitation professionals. Considering global dynamics that have reshaped the healthcare landscape, digital rehabilitation has emerged as a fundamental and transformative element in client’s care in rehabilitation. How-ever, implementation of digital rehabilitation in East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda) is still a challenge.
This research was done in in collaboration with the “Rehabilitation for All through Digital Innovation and new Competencies” RADIC project and East African partner Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The aims were to understand the challenges that digital rehabilitation professionals (Physiotherapists, Occupational therapists, Speech therapists, Psychologists and prosthetists and Orthotists) face in applying digital rehabilitation in their field of practice, how digital rehabilitation should be addressed in their curricula and to create a summary of competencies from the views of the rehabilitation professionals as stakeholders, through a qualitative analysis involving an open-ended survey. A thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.
Major challenges that rehabilitation professionals face when using digital technology were identified as inadequate digital knowledge and infrastructure, lack of internet connection and financial constraints. Rehabilitation professionals also suggested supplementary training in digital rehabilitation tools and ICT skills since digital knowledge and solutions are needed to improve accessibility and effective service.
The result also suggested that the current curricula do not address well the competencies needed by rehabilitation professionals and went further to suggest that theoretical and practical training should be added in the university curricula for rehabilitation professionals.
This research was done in in collaboration with the “Rehabilitation for All through Digital Innovation and new Competencies” RADIC project and East African partner Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The aims were to understand the challenges that digital rehabilitation professionals (Physiotherapists, Occupational therapists, Speech therapists, Psychologists and prosthetists and Orthotists) face in applying digital rehabilitation in their field of practice, how digital rehabilitation should be addressed in their curricula and to create a summary of competencies from the views of the rehabilitation professionals as stakeholders, through a qualitative analysis involving an open-ended survey. A thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.
Major challenges that rehabilitation professionals face when using digital technology were identified as inadequate digital knowledge and infrastructure, lack of internet connection and financial constraints. Rehabilitation professionals also suggested supplementary training in digital rehabilitation tools and ICT skills since digital knowledge and solutions are needed to improve accessibility and effective service.
The result also suggested that the current curricula do not address well the competencies needed by rehabilitation professionals and went further to suggest that theoretical and practical training should be added in the university curricula for rehabilitation professionals.