title: Active Rehabilitation-a community peer-based approach for persons with spinal cord injury: international utilisation of key elements.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Active Rehabilitation (AR) is a community peer-based approach that started in Sweden in 1976. As a key component of the approach, AR training camps provide intensive, goal-oriented, intentional, group-based, customised training and peer-support opportunities in a community environment for individuals with spinal cord injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cross-sectional study.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the profile of the organisations that use components of the AR approach, and to explore the characteristics and the international variations of the approach.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two organisations from 21 countries from Europe, Asia and Africa reported using components of the AR approach during the past 10 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  An electronic survey was developed and distributed through a personalised email. Sampling involved a prospective identification of organisations that met the inclusion criteria and snowball strategies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While there were many collaborating links between the organisations, RG Active Rehabilitation from Sweden and Motivation Charitable Trust from the United Kingdom were identified as key supporting organisations. The 10 key elements of the AR approach were found to be used uniformly across the participating organisations. Small variations were associated with variations in country income and key supporting organisation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study to describe the key elements and international variations of the AR approach. This will provide the basis for further studies exploring the effectiveness of the approach, it will likely facilitate international collaboration on research and operational aspects and it could potentially support higher integration in the health-care system and long-term funding of these programmes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.|Physiotherapy Program, School of Human Health and Social Sciences, Central Queensland University, North Rockhampton, QLD, Australia.|Alli Opsi, Non-Governmental Organization, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Divanoglou
authors.affiliation: Poznań University of Physical Education, Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tasiemski
authors.affiliation: Research and Development, Västernorrland County Council, Sundsvall, Sweden.|Karolinska Institutet, Department of NVS, Stockholm, Sweden.|Rekryteringsgruppen Active Rehabilitation, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Augutis
authors.affiliation: Rekryteringsgruppen Active Rehabilitation, Stockholm, Sweden.|Karolinska University Hospital, Spinal Cord Injury Unit, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Trok
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019049:Developed Countries; D003906:Developing Countries; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D038622:Internationality; D010379:Peer Group; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires