Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation aims to achieve recovery or improvement in people with long-term physical injury or functional impairment

What is medical rehabilitation?
Rehabilitation is concerned with complex problems resulting from illness, accidents or birth defects. The indication for treatment is given after referral to a rehabilitation doctor/physiatrist.

Rehabilitation medicine is a recognised medical specialty since 1955. Rehabilitation treatment takes place in rehabilitation institutions, but always in the context of seamless care, in collaboration with hospitals or nursing homes and their professionals, GPs, primary care and home care services. Mytyl schools (for children with a physical handicap) and Tyltyl schools (for children with multiple handicaps) also play a part because of the importance of education for children and adolescents who are receiving rehabilitation treatment.

Rehabilitation involves diagnostics, advice, (co)-treatment and aftercare on the following levels:

• simple rehabilitation
• general multidisciplinary rehabilitation
• specialised target-group oriented multidisciplinary rehabilitation
• top specialist rehabilitation. In the Netherlands, the right to rehabilitation care for publicly insured patients is laid down in the Cure Insurance Act.

What does rehabilitation mean for the patient?
Rehabilitation aims to achieve maximum independence for the patient, reducing his or her dependence on care (informal care, home care and professional care). Maximum independence implicates, where possible,reintegration into work, education, sports, other hobbies and relationships.

For the patient, rehabilitation means that he or she can function as independently as possible in his or her living circumstances, sports, hobbies and work. The main conditions or illnesses in which rehabilitation can be offered for children and adults:

1. (congenital and acquired) brain damage
2. spinal cord injury
3. other neurological muscular conditions
4. amputations
5. chronic pain
6. orthopaedic and traumatological conditions
7. rheumatic conditions
8. heart and lung illnesses
9. skin conditions (including burns and bed sores)
10. oncological conditions

What is Revalidatie Nederland?
Revalidatie Nederland is the Netherlands Association for Medical Rehabilitation. It represents the rehabilitation institutions (rehabilitation centres and rehabilitation departments in hospitals) and operates in close collaboration with other organisations in the rehabilitation field.

More information

• Find a rehabilitation institution
• Contact the Netherlands Association for Medical Rehabilitation ('Revalidatie Nederland')
• Download the brochure Rehabilitation