title: Strengthening health-related rehabilitation services at national levels.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  One of the aims of the World Health Organization's Global Disability Action Plan is to strengthen rehabilitation services. Some countries have requested support to develop (scale-up) rehabilitation services. This paper describes the measures required and how (advisory) missions can support this purpose, with the aim of developing National Disability, Health and Rehabilitation Plans.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is important to clarify the involvement of governments in the mission, to define clear terms of reference, and to use a systematic pathway for situation assessment. Information must be collected regarding policies, health, disability, rehabilitation, social security systems, the need for rehabilitation, and the existing rehabilitation services and workforce. Site visits and stakeholder dialogues must be done. In order to develop a Rehabilitation Service Implementation Framework, existing rehabilitation services, workforce, and models for service implementation and development of rehabilitation professions are described. Governance, political will and a common understanding of disability and rehabilitation are crucial for implementation of the process. The recommendations of the World Report on Disability are used for reporting purposes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This concept is feasible, and leads to concrete recommendations and proposals for projects and a high level of consensus stakeholders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Coordination Centre for Rehabilitation Research, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, DE-30625 Hannover, Germany. gutenbrunner.christoph@mh-hannover.de.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gutenbrunner
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bickenbach
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Melvin
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lains
authors.forename: Boya
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nugraha
mesh_terms: D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000592:standards*; D014944:World Health Organization / Q000458:organization & administration*