["Interface problems" in medical rehabilitation: development of a brief questionnaire for assessing the need for...

Against the background of current and future demographic changes the relevance of medical rehabilitation in the German health care system is generally acknowledged. It is a central element of treatment programmes especially for elderly and chronically ill patients. In recent years, problems due to lack of co-operation and communication as well as insufficient links between acute care and rehabilitation treatment have found increasing attention. Previous attempts to increase involvement especially of general practitioners in the rehabilitation process were only slightly successful. In a pilot study conducted by the Rehabilitationswissenschaftlicher Arbeitskreis Schleswig-Holstein a new procedure was tested to increase involvement of general practitioners. A brief questionnaire was attached to the report of discharge of rehabilitation patients and was sent to 130 practitioners. With this questionnaire the general attitude and need for information of the practitioners should be analysed. Knowledge about these variables should help to improve communication and co-operation. The response rate was quite high: about 75% of the contacted practitioners answered the questionnaire. All practitioners described medical rehabilitation as important and also had a quite positive attitude toward the same. Two-thirds of the physicians were interested in more intensive contacts and requested further information.