Home based training: main strategy of community based rehabilitation in Iran

ABSTRACT

Study of effectiveness of "home based training" in community based rehabilitation program on disabled people, who were trained and evaluated at the end of the course, under supervision of 21 pilot health and medical networks. In a cross-sectional study, 614 disabled people who had participated in "home based training" were selected with stratified random sampling method. They were evaluated according to function progress level variables by community based rehabilitation program experts. Age groups, sex, disability groups, employment state and teacher's relation variables were studied from their files and recording data. Statistical analysis was performed with Chi-square test. There was a relationship between age group and disability group with functional progress level [P value =0.014 and P value <0.001]. Low age groups, visual disabled group, epileptic patients and individuals with learning disability had the best results. High age groups, mixed age disability group and individuals with verbal and hearing problems had the least favorable results. There was a relationship between teacher's relation with progress or no progress state [P value = 0.038]. Individuals that were teachers had the best results and individuals with teachers other than first or second relation or health worker had the least favorable results. Home based training in community based rehabilitation program is an effective method for improving the functions of disabled people in some selected groups