Chowdhery Abhishek, Gupta Hitendra, Rana Aahan Singh
Sports Medicine, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, IND.
Physiology, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Government Medical College, Rajkot, IND.
Cureus. 2025 Aug 24;17(8):e90855. doi: 10.7759/cureus.90855. eCollection 2025 Aug.
Rehabilitation medicine, or physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR), constitutes an essential component of healthcare and is often recognized as the fourth pillar of the healthcare system. However, in India, public awareness of this medical specialty and its wide range of services remains limited. The Government of Uttarakhand, particularly the Government Doon Medical College and its associated hospital, has been making dedicated efforts to improve public awareness of the PMR department and its services. However, due to the absence of baseline data, there is a lack of clarity on how best to approach this challenge. Therefore, Government Doon Medical College and its associated hospital conducted this study to assess the current level of awareness and identify strategies to enhance it.
To assess the awareness and understanding of the physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR) specialty, its scope, and available services among general patients and public visitors to Government Doon Medical College and its associated Doon Hospital. To identify participants' knowledge regarding the location, facilities, and specific interventions provided by the PMR department. To compare awareness levels across demographic subgroups (e.g., age, gender, education level). To evaluate the role of different information channels (e.g., hospital staff, media, community outreach) in creating awareness about PMR services.
This observational study was conducted in the department of PMR at a multispecialty hospital in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. A panel of experts developed a 20-item questionnaire designed to assess awareness of PMR services and identify measures to improve public knowledge and referral practices. The questionnaire addressed general awareness of the specialty, its benefits, and the existing information, education, and communication (IEC) tools within the hospital.
The findings revealed that the overall awareness of PMR services among participants was low (less than 50%). Additionally, the use of IEC tools within the hospital to disseminate information about PMR was also limited (utilization below 50%).
康复医学，即物理医学与康复（PMR），是医疗保健的重要组成部分，常被视为医疗保健系统的第四大支柱。然而，在印度，公众对这一医学专业及其广泛服务的认知仍然有限。北阿坎德邦政府，特别是杜恩医学院及其附属医院，一直在努力提高公众对PMR科室及其服务的认知。然而，由于缺乏基线数据，对于如何最好地应对这一挑战尚不清楚。因此，杜恩医学院及其附属医院开展了这项研究，以评估当前的认知水平并确定提高认知的策略。
评估普通患者以及杜恩医学院及其附属医院的公众访客对物理医学与康复（PMR）专业、其范围及可用服务的认知和理解。确定参与者关于PMR科室的位置、设施及提供的具体干预措施的了解情况。比较不同人口亚组（如年龄、性别、教育水平）的认知水平。评估不同信息渠道（如医院工作人员、媒体、社区宣传）在提高对PMR服务认知方面的作用。
这项观察性研究在北阿坎德邦德拉敦一家多专科医院的PMR科室进行。一个专家小组编制了一份包含20个条目的问卷，旨在评估对PMR服务的认知并确定提高公众知识和转诊实践的措施。该问卷涉及对该专业的总体认知、其益处以及医院内现有的信息、教育和宣传（IEC）工具。
研究结果显示，参与者对PMR服务的总体认知较低（低于50%）。此外，医院内用于传播PMR信息的IEC工具的使用也很有限（使用率低于50%）。
