Introducing the concept of learning styles in rehabilitation

A major focus of rehabilitation is that of optimizing patients' activities. Learning and teaching are key elements in this respect, but raise important questions: what do rehabilitation professionals know with respect to learning and teaching, what do they do, and what do they need? This paper discusses the issue of learning and teaching in rehabilitation practice, and introduces the concept of learning styles. This concept, new in the field of rehabilitation, but well-known in other areas, is presumed to benefit both patients and professionals, as it allows teaching strategies to be matched to individual patients. As a consequence, the process of learning may be more efficient and optimizing activities may be more effective.