Evidence-based rehabilitation medicine: definition, foundation, practice and development

Evidence-based rehabilitation medicine (EBRM) integrates research evidence, clinical experience, and patient values to support rehabilitation treatment decisions. EBRM applies the principles of evidence-based medicine to rehabilitation, using high-quality evidence to optimize the effectiveness and efficiency of interventions while considering patient values. The practice of EBRM should encompass five fundamentals: Systematic review, Clinical practice guidelines, Values of patients, Preferences of patients, and Updated knowledge.

• 1
  The 14 sub-specialties of EBRM are not balanced, with evidence-based musculoskeletal rehabilitation medicine (EBMRM), evidence-based neurorehabilitation medicine (EBNM), and evidence-based education rehabilitation medicine (EBEDRM) being relatively well-developed.
• 2
  EBMRM research focuses on osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and musculoskeletal pain.
• 3
  EBNM research is concentrated in stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and spinal cord injury (SCI).