Rehabilitation is an essential part of universal health coverage along with promotion of good health, prevention of disease, treatment and palliative care.
Approaches to the management of chronic conditions have a number of features in common, including the need for accurate diagnosis and assessment; optimisation of medication; and rehabilitation that includes, but is not limited to:
- health education on disease management
- psychosocial health assessment and treatment
- risk modification, such as smoking cessation programs and improving nutrition
- supervised exercise training.
Exercise is an essential component of rehabilitation for chronic conditions with strong evidence showing that exercise alone improves exercise capacity and quality of life. It aims to reverse de-conditioning and restore and maintain physical function.