ArticleClinical rehabilitation2021
Defining rehabilitation: An exploration of why it is attempted, and why it will always fail.
Article in Clinical rehabilitation, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed.
- Theories, models, and frameworks in implementation science in the context of rehabilitation research: a scoping review.Journal of rehabilitation medicine · 2026Article
- Barriers and Facilitators to the 3 Sides of Extended Reality-Rehabilitation Adoption: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- U.S. Jails and fatal drug overdoses: patterns, predictors and the role of rehabilitative contexts.Health & justice · 2025Article
- Digital play and rehabilitation for children and adolescents in hospitals, outpatient departments and rehabilitation centres: A scoping review.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicine · 2025Article
- Rehabilitation, reablement, and restorative care approaches in the aged care sector: a scoping review of systematic reviews.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis (RiMS) Network Is Key to the World Health Organization's Rehabilitation 2030: A Call for Action for People With Multiple Sclerosis.International journal of MS care · 2025Article
- Role and promise of health policy and systems research in integrating rehabilitation into the health systems.Health research policy and systems · 2024Review
- Limits of Stability during a Therapeutic Exercise Intervention for Instability: Progression, Responders' and Non-Responders' Analysis and Predictors.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Current and Future Challenges for Rehabilitation for Inflammatory Arthritis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Understanding the value of rehabilitation: Perspectives from South African Stakeholders.African journal of disability · 2024Article
- Use of the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS) in the management of nitrous oxide (NBMJ case reports · 2023Article
- Inpatient Geriatric Rehabilitation: Definitions and Appropriate Admission Criteria, as Established by Maltese National Experts.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- Patient experiences of codesigned rehabilitation interventions in hospitals: a rapid review.BMJ open · 2022Review
- Rehabilitation definition for research purposes. A global stakeholders' initiative by Cochrane Rehabilitation.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine · 2022Article
- Rehabilitation Research in Denmark Between 2001 and 2020: A Scoping Review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2022Article
- The Rehabilitation Landscape in a Low-to-Middle-Income Country: Stakeholder Perspectives and Policy Implications-A Qualitative Study.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
the problemOver 187 definitions of rehabilitation exist, none widely agreed or used. Why? THE WORD: Words represent a core concept, with a penumbra of associated meanings. A word means what is agreed among those who use it. The precise meaning will vary between different groups. Words evolve, the meaning changing with use. Other words may capture some of the concepts or meanings. A DEFINITION: A definition is used to control the unstable, nebulous meaning of a word. It delineates, creating a boundary. A non-binary spectrum of meaning is transformed into binary categories: rehabilitation, or not rehabilitation. In clinical terms, it is a diagnostic test to identify rehabilitation. There are many different reasons for categorising something as rehabilitation. Each will need its own definition. CATEGORISATION: The ability of a definition to distinguish cases accurately must be validated by comparison with 'the truth'. If there were an external 'true' test to identify rehabilitation, a definition would not be needed. As with most concepts, the only truth is agreement by people familiar with the required distinction. Any definition will generate misclassification. People familiar with the required distinction will also need to resolve mis-categorisation. DESCRIPTION: An alternative is a 'descriptive definition', listing features over several domains which must be present. This fails logically. Rehabilitation is an emergent concept, more than the sum of its parts.
conclusionA useful definition cannot be achieved because no definition will cover all needs, and a specific definition for a purpose will misclassify some cases.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.