The field of clinical rehabilitation is rooted in the premise that carefully planned and delivered therapeutic intervention enhances patient outcomes, beyond any spontaneous recovery.  Underlying this statement is a deeper scientific reality: the field exists because biosystems (e.g., tissues, cells, organs, persons) are inherently adaptive, and can dynamically change as a function of a sequence of inputs (e.g., exercise, pharmaceuticals).  Understanding such phenomena is what rehabilitative science is about. It is a growing area. In the pages that follow we briefly summarize of the foundations of rehabilitative science from a systems perspective, to a level sufficient for this class.

Scientific Principles of Rehabilitative Biosystems. Summary of why rehabilitative science has a bright future!

Federal Priorities for Rehabilitation Science. Brief statements from two key reports of large, NIH-sponsored expert working groups that have helped set funding priorities.

Systems Perspective of Rehabilition Service Delivery. Model of the rehabilitative plan of care.

"Neuromuscular Systems" Concepts and Terminology. Web resources on helping you better understand these important systems.

Workshop on Home Care Technologies for the 21st Century. Gathering of over 100 experts, organized by Winters and Herman, funded by NSF and FDA, 1999. See especially recommedations and knowledge gaps.

| Rehab Bioscience | Federal Priorities | Rehab Delivery Model | NMS Concepts | HCT Workshop |