Initiatives in rehabilitation research.Federal funding of rehabilitation research depends on how much that research is valued, both within the physical therapy profession and among the external groups and individuals who have a stake in the research outcomes. To help advance rehabilitation research, the American Physical Therapy Association The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is a national professional organization representing more than 66,000 members. Its goal is to foster advancements in physical therapy practice, research, and education. (APTA APTA American Physical Therapy Association. ) forges partnerships, coalitions, and collaborations for advocacy, awareness, and legislative action; promotes the appointment of physical therapists to federal panels; and fosters infrastructure and research capacity building. To further cement the physical therapy profession's relationship with policymakers, APTA also is identifying health policy questions. Advancing rehabilitation research and promoting physical therapist scientists continues to be a long-term, sustained, and multifaceted initiative of APTA. One of the key facets is to increase public and federal agency awareness of physical therapist scientists and their contributions to rehabilitation research. APTA has worked extensively to enhance its profile with the US Departments of Health and Human Services Noun 1. Health and Human Services - the United States federal department that administers all federal programs dealing with health and welfare; created in 1979 Department of Health and Human Services, HHS , Education, Defense, and Veterans Affairs Veterans Affairs is a term of the business that deals with the relation between a government and its veteran communities, usually administered by the designated government agency. (VA). A greater understanding and appreciation for rehabilitation science should result in greater resources dedicated to serving the research needs in this area. Instrumental to APTA's strategy is a federal panel called the Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR ICDR Interagency Committee on Disability Research ICDR Internal Critical Design Review ICDR Interim Conceptual Design Report ICDR Installation Control Drawing Report ICDR Intermediate Critical Design Review ). The ICDR is the link to the federal agencies conducting research in disability and rehabilitation. The Committee is chaired by Stephen Tingus, Director of the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR NIDRR National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (US Department of Education) ) at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS OSERS Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services ) in the Department of Education. Twelve federal agencies are statutorily defined as members of ICDR, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH "Not invented here." See digispeak. NIH - The United States National Institutes of Health. ), the National Science Foundation, and the VA. In addition, the chair of ICDR regularly extends invitations to other federal agencies involved in rehabilitation research, such as the Administration on Aging The Administration on Aging (AoA) is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. AoA awards annual grants (computed by formulas) to State government agencies on aging and Native American tribal organizations to support programs mandated by the Congress and the Department of Defense. The ICDR is specifically authorized by Congress as part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 "to promote coordination and cooperation among Federal departments and agencies conducting rehabilitation research programs." (1) Furthermore, ICDR's goals are to increase public input and involvement in ICDR deliberations to ensure that research efforts lead to solutions for identified needs; improve the visibility of ICDR and federal disability research in general; identify and solve common problems through collaboration among agencies; and initiate and monitor activities involving interagency coordination and cooperation in support of the New Freedom Initiative. (The New Freedom Initiative is intended to help Americans with disabilities Americans with disabilities comprise one of the largest minority groups in the United States. According to the Disability Status: 2000 - Census 2000 Brief [1], approximately 20% of Americans have one or more diagnosed psycho-physical disability. by "increasing access to assistive technologies, expanding educational opportunities, increasing the ability of Americans with disabilities to integrate into the workforce, and promoting increased access into daily community life." (2)) APTA shares these goals and seeks every effort to collaborate with this federal agency to support our shared values. As part of ICDR's statutory mission, the Committee holds periodic hearings to hear from stakeholders in disability and rehabilitation research. At their public meeting on May 23, 2006, Edelle Field-Fote, PT, PhD, of the University of Miami This article is about the university in Coral Gables, Florida. For the university in Oxford, Ohio, see Miami University. The University of Miami (also known as Miami of Florida,[2] UM,[3] or just The U , delivered comments on behalf of APTA that address 6 key areas to enhance disability and rehabilitation research. A researcher at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis is a research center dedicated to research in the field of paralysis and spinal cord injury, with the eventual object of finding a cure for paralyzing injuries. Based at the Leonard M. , Field-Fote has received funding from federal agencies in rehabilitation research. Her comments built on previous testimony delivered in 2004 by Rebecca Craik, PT, PhD, FAPTA FAPTA Fellows of the American Physical Therapy Association , before this panel. Field-Fote advocated that ICDR set priorities on: * Research that identifies risk factors and physical therapy interventions and addresses the secondary impairments associated with disease and dysfunction. * Linking technology to rehabilitation interventions to ensure that scientific advancements are brought to the level of the patient. * Increasing its concentration on longitudinal studies longitudinal studies, n.pl the epidemiologic studies that record data from a respresentative sample at repeated intervals over an extended span of time rather than at a single or limited number over a short period. . * Assuming a leadership role in the development of quality indicators in rehabilitation and health services research Health services research is the multidisciplinary field of scientific investigation that studies how social factors, financing systems, organizational structures and processes, health technologies, and personal behaviors affect access to health care, the quality and cost of health care, . * Investigating the impact of aging and disability. * Dedicating resources toward strategies to improve function through prevention. Advancements in these areas will result in a more coordinated and comprehensive approach to rehabilitation research among federal agencies. Currently, fragmentation of projects across different agencies delays and disrupts the transition of new research to the level of the patient. Focusing beyond the disease to its ramifications ramifications npl → Auswirkungen pl on the individual in the areas of secondary impairments, aging, and prevention offers a great opportunity to reduce the burden of disease on the patient, the community, and the health care delivery system. APTA strongly advocates for greater coordination and a broadening of the rehabilitation research portfolio in federal agencies. As APTA continues to seek greater presence and involvement in the advancement of rehabilitation research, we look for researchers to communicate the physical therapy message in public formats to federal agencies. By highlighting physical therapist researchers, we show a direct and tangible outcome to the investment of federal dollars into the research enterprise, specifically in the areas of disability and rehabilitation. Our track record with these agencies continues to grow in both the quality and quantity of research being conducted and led by physical therapist scientists. This track record provides opportunities for physical therapists to become leaders in the field of disability and rehabilitation research over the next decade. References (1) ICDR Statutory Authority, Mission, and Goals. The Interagency Committee on Disability Research. Available at http://www.icdr.us/z_statute.html. Accessed June 5, 2006. (2) Remarks by the President in Announcement of New Freedom Initiative. February 1, 2001. Available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/freedominitiative/freedominitiative.html. Accessed June 5, 2006. Justin Moore, PT Director Congressional Affairs Marc Goldstein, EdD Director Research Services |
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