Applicability of World Health Organization’s Rehabilitation Competency Framework (RCF) to Psychosocial Rehabilitation Curricula in India?
摘要
The World Health Organization’s Rehabilitation Competency Framework (RCF) emphasizes key components of rehabilitation, particularly the competencies and activities of the rehabilitation workforce, to ensure that rehabilitation services are responsive to population needs. In the Indian context, the development of rehabilitation curricula has been primarily guided by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), the statutory body responsible for regulating the education and training of rehabilitation professionals, as well as overseeing the rights and welfare of persons with disabilities. Aligning national frameworks such as those developed by RCI with global standards like the RCF is essential to enhance the quality and effectiveness of rehabilitation services in India. In light of that, this study aimed to review the RCF framework and RCI courses in conjunction with the RCF. This study reviewed the RCF and the courses provided by the RCI to assess their alignment with the RCF framework. A total of 15 RCI courses were reviewed. The tools included the three checklists provided by the WHO-RCF. The review of the RCI courses, based on the three checklists from the RCF documents, revealed that 11 out of 15 courses showed limited alignment with the RCF. In contrast, the remaining 4 courses demonstrated an alignment of over 77 percent with the RCF components. This research highlights the importance of adapting the World Health Organization’s RCF to the rehabilitation courses offered by the RCI.