Models of rehabilitation - commonalities of interventions that work and of those that do not

To review models of rehabilitation and to consider factors that influence a models effectiveness or ineffectiveness.

Narrative review, with consultation with researchers.

Whether rehabilitation works is arguably best considered from the perspective of the person with disability. Rehabilitation models can generally be considered as 'complex interventions' for which specific research approaches have been defined. It is more likely to be accepted by the people involved, and be more likely to work, if the complex intervention paradigm is used and if rehabilitation operates at the level of activity and participation, as defined by the WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Reasons for apparent 'non-effectiveness' of rehabilitation models are protean and can range from inadequately conceptualised health conditions, or interventions, to interference from 'active' control interventions, inappropriate outcome measures and, inadequate sample sizes.

Many opportunities remain for future research into the effectiveness of models of rehabilitation and detection of what constitutes the crucial components.