[Health "new housekeeper" is here ①] They help dysfunctional people "go home"
editor's note
As social needs change, new health professions emerge.
Among the 16 new occupations announced by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in 2020, many are closely related to health, such as rehabilitation assistive technology consultants, birth defect prevention and control consultants, community health assistants, and health care nurses.
After nearly two years of development, what is the current status of the new profession, and what expectations do practitioners have?
Starting this week, the health edition launched a series of reports "Health "New Housekeeper" is Coming", readers are welcome to pay attention.
At 8:30 in the morning, the rehabilitation treatment hall of Shenzhen Second People's Hospital (hereinafter referred to as "Shenzhen Second Hospital") began to be lively. With the assistance of rehabilitation assistive technology consultants, some dysfunctional people walked slowly with the aid of walking frames, and some Some are exercising arm movement by playing the video game "Catching Butterflies", and some are exercising finger joints by moving the friction shaft...
Wang Yulong, president of the Shenzhen Rehabilitation Medicine Association, told a reporter from the Worker's Daily that people with functional disabilities need to use one or more assistive devices in a targeted manner when performing rehabilitation training. However, due to the wide variety of assistive devices and their different functions, Therefore, professionals are needed to make suggestions, and the profession of rehabilitation assistive technology consultant was born.
In February 2020, rehabilitation assistive technology consultants became a new profession and included in the national occupational classification catalog.
At present, there is a large market demand for rehabilitation assistive technology consultants in China and a shortage of talents.
Industry insiders said that for new occupations to develop well, supporting policies must keep up with it, and it is necessary to develop a corresponding professional training model and clarify salary and benefits.
Rehabilitation assistive technology consultants are mostly served by therapists
Long Jianjun, Director of the Treatment Department of the Rehabilitation Center of the Second Hospital of Shenzhen, said in an interview with a reporter from the Worker's Daily that at present, most rehabilitation assistive technology consultants are part-time rehabilitation therapists. Experienced therapists can transition to become counselors.
The main task of rehabilitation assistive technology consultants is to provide assistive technology consultation, referral, evaluation, and programs for dysfunctional persons by comprehensively using rehabilitation assistive technology products according to factors such as physical function and structure, activity participation ability, and use environment of dysfunctional persons. Design, application guidance and other services.
Zhu Xiaolong, a full-time rehabilitation therapist and rehabilitation assistive technology consultant, said that assistive devices are another way of rehabilitation besides medication and surgery. A consultant is required to carry out a personalized assistive device intervention plan for it.
Zhu Xiaolong once made personalized assistive devices for a child with a hand injury.
The tendon of the palm of the patient's hand was severed. Due to the long fixation time after the operation, the palm was deformed and could not be grasped. After receiving consultation, they learned that the patient's hand function still had room for recovery, but he could not often go to the hospital for rehabilitation training. So Zhu Xiaolong and his colleagues A dynamic stretch correction auxiliary training device was made for it.
"Children on the market are mainly aimed at adults, and children cannot wear them. They can only be customized according to the size of the child's palm." Zhu Xiaolong explained that considering the tender skin of children, the use of anti-abrasion materials should also be considered in the production. Change the pulling power device from a spring to a rubber band. In order to allow the patient to cooperate with it, try to make the assistive device look like a toy.
Multidisciplinary knowledge and good communication skills required
Like Zhu Xiaolong, Lu Xing, a full-time rehabilitation assistive technology consultant, also has more than 10 years of experience as a rehabilitation therapist. Currently, he is mainly responsible for home renovations for discharged dysfunctional patients.
"When the patient's functional status is stable, he needs to go home or even return to society. He needs to evaluate his functional status and living environment to understand the individual needs of the patient." Lu Xing said that during the evaluation process, the consultant should not only To enter the home, it is also necessary to visit the community and nearby activity areas to understand the surrounding environment, and then formulate a plan, discuss and modify it with the patient.
In Lu Xing's view, to be qualified as a rehabilitation assistive technology consultant, it is necessary to cultivate multidisciplinary talents.
"It is necessary to understand clinical medicine, knowledge of human anatomy, bone joints, and engineering knowledge. When designing assistive devices, it is necessary to understand the properties of ductility and softness of various materials in order to choose suitable ones for patients. Assistive intervention."
During the course of his work, Lu Xing discovered that rehabilitation assistive technology consultants also need to have the ability to communicate with different groups of people, understand the psychological state of patients, help them build confidence, accept the intervention of assistive devices, and return to family and society smoothly.
Talent training should pay attention to functional impairment and subdivided professional fields
According to the data of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in 2020, my country has more than 85 million disabled people, 44 million disabled and semi-disabled elderly, and a large number of injured and sick friends. They can improve their physical functions with the help of rehabilitation assistive technology .
It is estimated that my country needs at least 200,000 rehabilitation assistive technology professionals.
Zhu Xiaolong told reporters that in the past, assistive devices were not taken seriously, and in the absence of professional communication, it often happened that the manufactured assistive devices were not fully compatible.
"With the accumulation of experience and the improvement of skills, some therapists find that they also understand assistive devices, and can even make some small assistive devices by hand. More importantly, therapists know the patient's functional status best, and can better provide for them. They choose the right assistive devices." Zhu Xiaolong said that orthopedists have the manufacturing skills of assistive devices, and therapists understand patients' needs and can provide manufacturing solutions, so they gradually assume the work of rehabilitation assistive technology consultants.
In July 2022, the National Occupational Skills Standard for Rehabilitation Assistive Technology Consultants was promulgated and implemented.
The standard clearly stipulates the conditions for skill appraisal of five levels, and provides a clear basis for practitioners' professional evaluation.
Wang Yulong said that currently there is no special school to train rehabilitation assistive technology consultants, and there is no specific training outline and curriculum arrangement. The promotion channel and fee items are not clear, which also limits the development of this professional team to a certain extent.
He believes that rehabilitation assistive technology consultants should develop healthily, supporting measures should be introduced, remuneration should be clear, and talent training should keep up.
In terms of personnel training, Long Jianjun believes that rehabilitation assistive technology consultants should also subdivide professional fields according to specific functional impairments, such as language, vision, and body movement. Only in this way can the position develop towards specialization and more Provide patients with technical consultation on assistive devices and customize the most suitable plan.
Liu Youting