SPECIAL ARTICLE   Free access

European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine 2018 December;54(6):957-70

DOI: 10.23736/S1973-9087.18.05501-6

Copyright © 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Evidence-based position paper on Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine professional practice for persons with stroke. The European PRM position (UEMS PRM Section)

Ayşe A. KÜÇÜKDEVECI ¹ ✉, Katharina STIBRANT SUNNERHAGEN ², Volodymyr GOLYK ³, Alain DELARQUE ⁴, Galina IVANOVA ⁵, Mauro ZAMPOLINI ⁶, Carlotte KIEKENS ⁷, Enrique VARELA DONOSO ⁸, Nicolas CHRISTODOULOU ⁹

¹ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ankara University Medical Faculty, Ankara, Turkey; ² Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg University, Goteborg, Sweden; ³ Office of Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for rehabilitation of ATO Participants, Kyiv, Ukraine; ⁴ Aix-Marseille University, APHM, CHU Timone, Marseille, France; ⁵ Department of Medical Rehabilitation, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia; ⁶ Department of Rehabilitation, Ospedale di Foligno, USL Umbria 2, Perugia, Italy; ⁷ Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; ⁸ Radiology, Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Department, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain; ⁹ Limassol Center of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Limassol, Cyprus

BACKGROUND: Stroke is a major cause of disability worldwide, with an expected rise of global burden in the next twenty years throughout Europe. This EBPP represents the official position of the European Union through the UEMS Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) Section and designates the professional role of PRM physicians for people with stroke. The aim of this study is to improve PRM physicians’ professional practice for persons with stroke in order to promote their functioning and enhance quality of life.
METHODS: A systematic review of the literature including a ten-year period and a consensus procedure by means of a Delphi process has been performed involving the delegates of all European countries represented in the UEMS PRM Section.
RESULTS: The systematic literature review is reported together with 78 recommendations resulting from the Delphi procedure.
CONCLUSIONS: The professional role of PRM physicians for persons with stroke is to improve specialized rehabilitation services worldwide in different settings and to organize and manage the comprehensive rehabilitation programme for stroke survivors considering all impairments, comorbidities and complications, activity limitations and participation restrictions as well as personal and environmental factors.

KEY WORDS: Stroke - Physical and rehabilitation medicine - Health planning guidelines - Consensus development conference