International Experience in Using Rehabilitation Technologies to Restore Health of the Working Population after Occupational and Domestic Injuries: a Review

Abstract

Background: Off- and on-the job injuries are characterized by a wide range of sites, formation mechanisms, outcomes, and complications and pose a serious socio-economic problem. Early and timely rehabilitation improves occupational prognosis and is necessary at all disease phases. The objectives of this review include the analysis of gender and age-specific on- and off-the job injuries and identification of possible directions of improving the efficiency of restoring health after injuries using international standards. Methods: We searched Web of Science, PubMed, eLIBRARY and ResearchGate citation databases with the following keywords both in Russian and English: on-the-job injuries, off-the-job injuries, rehabilitation technologies, International Classification of Functioning, and rehabilitation potential, and selected 52 articles out of 70 search results. Having analyzed the selected papers, we included 35 of them in this topical review. Results: The main types of injuries in terms of localization and mechanism of traumatic injury have been established and possible post-traumatic complications leading to temporary, stable, and permanent disability are described. The importance of timely, comprehensive and step-by-step rehabilitation treatment of the consequences of injuries are highlighted in view of allocating basic and additional tasks of this process. Foreign experience of using treatment methodology from the standpoint of rehabilitation potential and rehabilitation diagnosis is demonstrated. Possible directions of increasing the efficiency of the population's health recovery have been analyzed using international standards. The main stages, tasks, and possibilities of medical and social rehabilitation using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) are considered. Conclusions: Our findings show the necessity of introducing this international classification into domestic medical practice in order to highlight individual needs in the rehabilitation process, assess the results of rehabilitation, professional suitability, quality of life and other health indicators.