Context-Responsive Rehabilitation: Adapting Services and Strategies across Global Health Systems

The global demand for rehabilitation services is increasing due to population ageing, the rising prevalence of chronic health conditions, persistent inequities in care access, and the growing number of people living with disabilities. Yet, rehabilitation delivery occurs within diverse contexts shaped by variations in healthcare infrastructure, workforce capacity, financing systems, sociocultural settings, policy frameworks, and access to assistive technologies. Consequently, models of care developed in one region or health system may not be readily transferable to another without thoughtful adaptation. There is a pressing need to understand how rehabilitation services can be effectively designed, adapted, and implemented across different contexts while remaining responsive to local realities, resources, and priorities.This Research Topic seeks to investigate how rehabilitation services, interventions, technologies, and implementation strategies are being adapted to the unique contexts of low-, middle-, and high-income countries. It aims to compile evidence from diverse health systems to identify innovative, scalable, and sustainable approaches that enhance equitable access and improve outcomes for individuals across the lifespan living with disabilities and chronic health conditions, including those in rural, underserved, humanitarian, and fragile settings. By drawing insights from a wide range of healthcare and community settings, the topic intends to uncover transferable lessons, novel models of care, and opportunities for global learning and collaboration. Ultimately, the goal is to advance a more contextually grounded and internationally relevant rehabilitation science agenda that fosters equitable, accessible, and sustainable rehabilitation services worldwide.We welcome contributions exploring context-sensitive rehabilitation across clinical, community, educational, and policy environments. Submissions focusing on implementation science, health systems strengthening, workforce development, disability inclusion, and the translation of evidence into real-world practice are particularly encouraged. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, context-specific rehabilitation models and service delivery approaches; community-based and telerehabilitation initiatives; digital health and assistive technology implementation; workforce capacity-building; rehabilitation policy and financing; cultural adaptation of interventions and outcome measures; access for rural and underserved populations; and comparative analyses across high-, middle-, and low-income settings. Studies highlighting both commonalities and differences across contexts are especially welcome. Topic editors: G Shankar Ganesh, Marco Tofani Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82990/context-responsive-rehabilitation-adapting-services-and-strategies-across-global-health-systems