Neurological rehabilitation in the community

There is increasing pressure on health services around the world to provide more resources and facilities in the community. This is partly as a counterbalance to the increasing cost of hospital services and partly a recognition of the importance of local health facilities. Rehabilitation has generally been a hospital-based specialty and there now needs to be a change of focus, or at least an additional focus, towards community rehabilitation. This review article summarizes some of the models of community rehabilitation and the evidence for their effectiveness. Although there is a reasonable body of evidence for both the acceptability and effectiveness of community rehabilitation there is a clear need for further research.