The challenge of teaching rehabilitative care in medical school

Rehabilitative care has gained importance because the population is aging, and improved acute and chronic medical care saves and prolongs lives but leaves some patients with temporary or permanent physical impairments. However, despite, its importance, the teaching and learning of rehabilitative care in medical school lag behind medical education relating to acute and chronic care. The authors analyze the broad scope of rehabilitative care and the need to include it in the medical school curriculum. They also discuss advantages for students and their patients of learning rehabilitative care in the undergraduate curriculum and suggest methods to improve teaching it.