HLSC630 - Holistic Rehabilitation and Restoration 1

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

Given the rising number of people requiring rehabilitation and restoration, and the increasing awareness of the needs of those ageing, with injury or disability, professionals working with these people are encouraged to adopt holistic and interprofessional approaches to optimise outcomes. This unit provides a range of case stories purposefully designed to enhance knowledge, encourage reflection and facilitate autonomous and collaborative learning. The cases aim to draw out the complex interplay of factors related to the person’s health condition, activity, participation levels, and contextual factors such as socioeconomic and culture using a universal framework to facilitate interprofessional discussion. Holistic discipline and interdisciplinary assessment and intervention strategies will be explored, enabling reflection on evidence informed, person-centred and innovative practice. Students will practice communicating clinical decision-making processes, critically analysing delivery of their services, and those provided by others, thereby promoting collaboration for current and future academic and clinical practice. This unit aims to encourage students to incorporate learning into clinical reasoning processes, to enhance collaboration with people with a range of health conditions, their families and other interprofessional team members, to optimise outcomes across the continuum of care.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Explain the relationship between the provision of holistic outcomes for people requiring rehabilitation/restoration across the continuum of care are and the influences of the health condition, including identified factors related to body structure/function, activity and participation, dynamically interacting with contextual factors, such as socioeconomic and culture (including for those from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island (ATSI) backgrounds (GA3, GA4, GA5, GA6, GA8, GA9)

LO2 - Apply the principles of holistic, person-centred, evidence-informed and innovative contemporary approaches, to synthesise and/or evaluate discipline and interprofessional assessment and intervention strategies, aimed at achieving optimal outcomes for people requiring rehabilitation/restoration across the continuum of care; (GA1, GA3, GA4, GA5, GA6, GA8, GA9)

LO3 - Effectively communicate decision-making processes verbally and/or in writing to a diverse audience adopting holistic, interprofessional, collaborative strategies, taking local, national and international perspectives into account while demonstrating an awareness of person-centred practice (GA1, GA3, GA4, GA5, GA6, GA8)

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity 

GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

Content

Topics will include:

• International Classification of Functioning and Disability (ICF) as a universal framework to facilitate both autonomous and interprofessional/interdisciplinary collaboration. Factors of interest can be identified and organised relevant to individuals/target populations with various health conditions requiring rehabilitation/restoration including:  
• Factors related to body/ structure and function such as relevant pathophysiology; symptomatology; primary and secondary impairments; disease progression/recovery mechanisms associated with various health conditions;
• Factors related to the activities people do and the way in which they participate including relevant activity limitations and participation restrictions;
• Factors related to contextual factors such as environmental factors related to physical, social and attitudinal environment in which people live and conduct their lives (e.g., built environment; social attitudes) and personal factors (e.g. age, social, economic, education and cultural factors including awareness and sensitivity);
• The complex interplay and dynamic interaction of the various domains of the ICF related to people with various health conditions and the influence on clinical decision making and holistic outcomes across the continuum of care;
• Reflection on other theoretical models or underpinning frameworks that may guide clinical decision making from a discipline or interdisciplinary perspective.
• Holistic Interdisciplinary assessment and intervention strategies, including discipline specific role within the team, such as:
• Assessment and clinical reasoning/decision making; reflection on selection, justification and application of processes used including outcome measurement and disciplinary/interdisciplinary and person-centred goal setting;
• Intervention strategies and clinical reasoning/decision making; reflection on discipline specific and holistic (team) interventions and approaches; 
• Identifying and reflecting on the roles of the team of key stakeholders collaborating with the person with a health condition across the continuum of care to optimise outcomes at each stage identifying coordination/role overlap influences;
• The influence on assessment, intervention strategies and clinical decision making of: 
• evidence informed practice;
• person centred practice – patient preference; 
• interprofessional and interdisciplinary practice and processes;
• innovative, contemporary approaches to practice including self-management;
• Clinical decision-making processes including the impact of various clinical reasoning factors such as service delivery models; service specific issues; stage of the continuum of care; funding, legislation, clinician experiences etc.
• Communication of, and reflection on, clinical decision making and reasoning processes including in the context of increasing focus on: 
• Holistic and person-centred practice including coordination across the continuum of care in various health and participation setting;
• interprofessional/interdisciplinary practice;
• local, national and international perspectives.

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Teaching and learning strategies used in this unit aim to support students to meet the learning outcomes of this unit as well as to meet broader course learning outcomes.  The learning approaches applied in this unit are flexible and allow students the opportunity to critically analyse, discuss and explore various contemporary approaches to holistic rehabilitation and restoration and be guided to increasing interprofessional collaboration and person-centred practice.

This unit is offered online and through multi-mode utilising an online learning platform with supported tutorials. Thus, the learning strategy includes both synchronous and asynchronous learning activities to encourage both learner-centred and interprofessional collaboration through encouraging engagement in extended dialogues in various formats. The learning activities enable the student’s active participation within a community of inquiry, in collaboration with interprofessional members of the learning community. Purposefully designed online and industry relevant activities, promote inquiry-based and work integrated learning principles while encouraging critical thinking to enhance knowledge, understanding and reflection. Learning and teaching strategies for this Post Graduate level unit are based on a blend of constructivism, social constructivism, and experiential learning.  The fundamental aim is for students to translate learning into their real-world practice in the area of rehabilitation and/or restoration across the continuum of care, in collaboration with key other stakeholders.  

A blend of case based, and problem-based learning activities are provided pre-tutorial. The cases stories in the learning strategy are used both to drive learning, and as exemplars for learning, with the aim of developing higher order thinking and reasoning including guiding students towards innovative reasoning and practice for holistic person-centred care. Students will be encouraged to learn how to learn and problem solve through learning activities proposed. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessments in this unit have been purposefully designed to have authentic real-world relevance for students aiming to replicate aspects of clinical practice and real-life scenarios. The assessment strategy incorporates a broad range of tasks aligned to andragogic principles of adult learning facilitating choice and self-direction for the post graduate student. Furthermore, the assessment tools have been designed from an “Assessment for Learning” approach in order to provide evidence for judgement of learning, while also reinforcing, facilitating and supporting learning and application of learning. The broad range of assessment activities encourages application of learning to practice and embeds reflection on decision making and clinical reasoning; problem solving and critical reflection on advanced theoretical knowledge and contemporary and holistic, interprofessional industry relevant approaches. In addition to assessing enhanced patient-centred approaches, a major focus of the assessment items, is the ability to reflect on personal and collaborative practice, and communicate reflections, evidence informed reasoning and decision making. 

In the first assessment task students will using example/s from their clinical practice or provided case stories if necessary, to demonstrate advanced professional and theoretical knowledge, critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The task requires student’s reflection, and communication of their personal and collaborative practice pertaining to optimising client outcomes in relation to holistic rehabilitation and restoration. Assessment task 2 provides students with the opportunity to contribute to collaborative inter-professional learning; to expand and apply knowledge, insights and experiences gained from directed and self-directed learning and collaborative discussions; and retrospectively reflect on learning gained. In assessment task 3, students will use example/s from their clinical practice, or provided case stories if necessary, to demonstrate advanced professional and theoretical knowledge, critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The task will encourage reflection on, and communication of, their personal and collaborative practice pertaining to optimising client outcomes in relation to holistic rehabilitation/restoration utilising the alternate verbal communication strategy enabling students to demonstrate further learning from across the unit.

These assessments have been specifically timed to align to the advanced level of professional and theoretical knowledge, enhanced critical analysis, collaboration and professional presentation modes developed throughout the unit. Assessment tasks may be delivered and assessed locally with moderation according to University Policies and Procedures. All assessments will be submitted electronically.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Brand, C., Buchbinder, R., Wluka, A., Ruth, D., McKenzie, S., Jones, et al., (2009). Guideline for the non-surgical management of hip and knee osteoarthritis, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.

Carr, J., & Shepherd, R. (2011). Neurological rehabilitation: Optimising motor performance. (2nd ed). Churchill Livingstone

Edmans, J. (ed.). (2016.) Occupational therapy and neurological conditions. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  

Dyer, S., Laver, K., Pond, C., Cumming, R., Whitehead, C., Crotty, M.(2016) Clinical practice guidelines and principles of care for people with dementia. Australian Family Physician, 45, (12):884-889.

Iansek R, Morris M Eds (2013). Rehabilitation in movement disorders. Cambridge University Press.

Fen Chein, H. (ed.). (2017). Movement disorders rehabilitation. Springer International Publishing.

Kauffmann, T., Scott, R., Barr, J., and Moran, M. (2014). A comprehensive guide to Geriatric Rehabilitation (3rd ed.). Churchill Livingstone Elsevier 

Krefting, L.H., & Johnson, J. A. (2013). Occupational therapy approaches to traumatic brain injury: Occupational therapy in health care. Routledge.

Lennon, S., Ramdharry, G., Verheyden, G. (2018). Physical management for neurological conditions. (4th ed.). Elsevier.

Lundy-Ekman, L. (2018). Neuroscience: Fundamentals for rehabilitation. (5th ed.). Elsevier.

National Stroke Foundation (2017). Stroke Clinical Guidelines. National Stroke Foundation, Australia.