PLoS ONE, 2013 · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053995 · Published: January 7, 2013
This study evaluates the effectiveness of the NHV program, a rehabilitation service comprised of NGOs, local health departments and rehabilitation volunteers, in improving long-term physical functioning of survivors. The NHV program provided institutional-based rehabilitation (IBR) followed by community-based rehabilitation (CBR) to earthquake survivors with disabling injuries in the Sichuan province. The study found that the NHV program significantly improved the long-term physical functioning of Sichuan earthquake survivors with disabling injuries.
Sichuan earthquake victims with improved physical functioning are able to perform daily activities more independently, requiring less assistance.
The significant development of rehabilitation infrastructure via NHV demonstrates how large-scale natural disasters present an opportunity to expand rehabilitation services in low-resource regions.
The rapid, close, and continued coordination between multiple rehabilitation stakeholders serves as an example to guide future disaster responses in China and internationally.