CHINA DAILY:Healing hands help patients lead active life(Updated: Jan 25, 2021)
ByLiHongrui|chinadaily.com.cn
Updated:Jan25,2021

"Rehabilitationcanbeneededatsomepointinanyone'slivesafterinjuryorsurgery.ThoseinfectedbyCOVID-19alsoneedsuchmedicaltreatment,"GuoJingwei,chiefphysicaltherapistoftheRehabilitationMedicineDepartmentoftheChina-JapanFriendshipHospitalinBeijing,toldChinaDailyWebsiteonJan14.
At8:00am,Guowalksintheoutpatientdepartment,alargegym-likehallatthehospital,gentlygreetingaseniorcitizenlyingonabed.
Afterthoroughlycheckingwiththepatientabouthersituation,thetherapiststartsguidingthewomantodosomeexercises.
ThisisGuo'sdailyroutineinthepasttwodecadessincehegraduatedfromtheShanghaiSportsUniversityin1996.
"Evennow,manydoctorsandnursesmisinterprettherehabilitationtreatment,"saidGuo,"consideringitas,say,massage,acupunctureorphysicaltreatment."
"Infact,rehabilitationisalargerfield.Itfocusesonoptimizingpeople'sfunctioningandreducingdisabilitiesthroughdesignedinterventions.Weaimtogivepatientsacomparativelynormallife,alifethattheycanenjoythebasicpleasuresasahuman."

Tocuresometimes,torelieveoften,tocomfortalways
TheWorldHealthOrganizationdefinesrehabilitationashelping"achild,adultorolderpersontobeasindependentaspossibleineverydayactivities"andenablingthemtoparticipateineducation,recreation,workand"meaningfulliferolessuchastakingcareoffamily".
AccordingtoGuo,rehabilitationcanhelppatientsrecoverinamoreefficientwayaftersurgeries.
"Withtheinterventionofrehabilitation,thechanceforapatientwhoreceivesorgantransplantationtosurviveishigher.Italsoworksonmanyotheroperations,"saidthetherapist.
"Atpresent,inourhospital,itonlyneeds24hoursforapatienttoleavebedafterarectalsurgerywiththehelpofrehabilitation.Inthepast,ittookmanydays."
However,itiscommonlybelievedthatasuccessfulsurgeryistheendofcompletecure.Theprocesstorestartlivinglikehealthypeopleisoftenlefttothepatientsthemselves,asmanystillhavenoideaaboutrehabilitationandoverlookthenecessityofsuchmedicaltreatment.
In2018,Guoandhisteamreceiveda60-somethingwomanpatientwhojusthadaninternalfixationinonearm.
AsanoldChinesesayinggoes,"onehundreddaysneededtorecoveryfrombrokenbones",theseniorcitizenthoughtherwoundedpartwouldhealafterrestingforsomemonths.
Shetriedtofollowtheadvicefromdoctorstodosomeexercisetoacceleratetherecoverybutdidn'tfindacorrectway.
"Anditstillhurtbadlywhenthepatientmovedhershoulderandarmaftertwomonths'rest,"Guosaid,"thensheturnedtous."
Therehabilitationdepartmentdesignedarecoveryplanforthepatientandguidedhertodonecessaryexercisesstepbystepaccordingtoherbodysituation.
"Overprotectionofwoundedpartandlackofexercisesaftersurgeriesmaycausenewproblems,suchasjointsstiffnessandmusclewasting,"saidthephysicaltherapist.
Duringtherehabtreatment,thepatientwasalsotaughthowtoputonclothesanddootherthingsindailylifetoreducethepaininherarmandshoulder,whichwasapartofoccupationaltherapyofrehabilitation.Continuouspsychologicalcounselingwasgivenaswelltoenhancethepatient'sconfidence.
Afteralmostthreemonth'streatment,thepatienteventuallyrecoveredandbeganleadinganormallifeasbefore.

Startlate,developquickly
"Ourworkisnotwidelyunderstoodeventoday.ButmoreChinesepeoplenowknowrehabilitationwhencomparedto20yearsago,"saidGuo,whowasoneoftheearliestacademicallyeducatedphysicaltherapistsinChina.
Asearlyasthe1950s,therewasphysicaltreatmentinChinesehospitals,yetmodernrehabilitationmedicinewasintroducedtothecountryonlyinthe1980s,muchlaterthanmanydevelopedcountries,suchasJapanandtheUS.
"Thedevelopmentofrehabilitationgoeshandinhandwitheconomy,aspeople'sdemandofahigh-qualitylifegivesrisetotheneedofrehabilitation.Thankstotheblossomingeconomy,rehabilitationmedicinehasdevelopedquicklyinthepast40years."
In1982,SunYat-senUniversityinSouthChina'sGuangdongprovincelaunchedthefirstrehabilitationresearchcenterinChina.AndtheChineseAssociationofRehabilitationMedicinewasfoundedin1983withitsofficesetintheChina-JapanFriendshipHospital.AndtheinstitutionjoinedtheInternationalRehabilitationMedicineAssociationin2001.

Chinesegovernmentalsoprovidedastronghandtotherehabilitationmedicine.In2011,theMinistryofHealthofChina(nowtheNationalHealthCommissionofChina)issuedapolicy,requiringGradeIIandIIIhospitals(Chinesehospitalsareclassifiedintothreelevels-GardeI,GradeIIandGradeIII,amongwhichthelastgroupisthetoplevel)mustbeequippedwithrehabilitationmedicinedepartment.Suchpolicyfurtherpushedtherehabilitationmedicinetoboomnationwide.
FriendlyrehabtreatmentfromFriendshipHospital
AsaGradeIIILevelAhospital,theChina-JapanFriendshipHospitallaunchedtherehabilitationmedicinedepartmentin1984whenitwasestablished.
Atfirst,itonlyhadrehabtreatmenttoalimitednumberofdiseases,suchastheonesrelatedtonervesystemandcervicalandlumbarspines.

"Andnowourrehabtreatmentcoversmoreoperations,includingorgantransplantationandcardiacoperations,"Guosaid.
"Wehavelargerandbetterequippedrehabilitationcentersinbothnorthandwestbranchesofthehospital.Therearechildren-friendlyroomsthatwerespeciallydecoratedtogivethesmallpatientsasafeenvironment.Thephysicaltherapytohelppostpartummomshasbeenaddedtoo."

Aftertheepidemic,thehospital'srehabilitationmedicinedepartmentalsocameupwithaseriesoftherapiesfortheCOVID-19infectedpatients.
Sincethetherapists'abilitytocommunicatewiththepatientsandtocomfortthemisrequiredduringrehabtreatment,theatmosphereinthehospital'srehabilitationcenterisoftenveryfriendly.
"Insomeway,therelationshipbetweenpatientsandmedicalworkersinourdepartmentisthemostharmoniousoneinthehospital,"Guosaid.

Apromisingfutureaheadforrehabilitation
Also,asanassociateprofessoratBeijingUniversityofChineseMedicine,thephysicaltherapist'sdailyworkincludesteachingyoungstudents.
Guowouldaskthethreetofivestudentswhofollowhimeveryday,toanalyzethesituationofthepatientwhowasbeingattendedtoletthemmastertheskillinrealcases.
"TheseyoungpeoplearethefutureofChineserehabilitationmedicine,"the47-year-oldtherapistsaid.
"AcademicallyeducatedtherapistsarestronglyneededinmanycommunityhospitalsandremoteareasinChina.TheneedofrehabilitationisonlyincreasingasChinesesocietyisagingatafastrate."
As2021marksthefirstyearofthe14thFive-YearPlan(2021-25),whichproposestobuildahealthyChinaandactivelyrespondtoagingpopulation,GuoshowedhissanguineattitudetothedevelopmentofrehabilitationinChina.
"Frombirthtodeath,rehabilitationrelatestothecircleofeveryone'slife.Fortheforeseeablefuture,suchmedicaltreatmentwillbeincreasinglydemandedasChinesepeople'slifequalityimproves."


