Lessons learnt on the meaning of involvement and co-creation in developing community-based rehabilitation

Abstract

Purpose: To describe and analyse social interactions among the users, partners and stakeholders involved in developing a rehabilitation park to determine a future approach to community-based rehabilitation.

Materials and methods: The design was qualitative using the methodology interpretive description and symbolic interactionism as the theoretical framework. Data was generated through a two-year ethnographic fieldwork throughout the development of the SPARK (Sound Park Activities Rehabilitation and Climate) rehabilitation park. The participants were users, partners, and stakeholders of the park and data consisted of participant observations comprising observations, informal conversations, and field notes.

Results: Three themes formed an understanding of the significance of involvement; A shared vision reflected the participants’ joint overall idea for the rehabilitation park containing possibilities for health promotions for everyone. Perceived solidarity represented an experience of a project where everyone’s opinion counted whilst Profound Acknowledgement signified a state of a deeper experience of being valued and heard.

Conclusions: The findings suggest consistent and continuous involvement of users, partners, and stakeholders, creating possibilities for co-creation in rehabilitation in new settings. The development of rehabilitation parks like the SPARK park in a shared public arena may benefit people with disability, and everyone and further help reduce stigma around disability.

Implications for Rehabilitation

• The rehabilitation definition forms the base for co-creation of rehabilitation initiatives among people in need of rehabilitation as such and professionals with different approaches and professions.

• Conducting rehabilitation practice in a shared outdoor arena may provide professional development and expansion towards interdisciplinary approaches across diagnoses and professions.

• Outdoor rehabilitation may (despite different target groups) function as a facilitator for professional and chance meetings in the park and thereby create a community for meeting across professional disciplines, founding, and enabling a practice that allows to reflect on and learn from different approaches within rehabilitation.

• Community-based rehabilitation in a public shared arena may generate possibilities for reducing stigma towards people with disability.

Keywords:

• Rehabilitation
• community-based rehabilitation
• disability
• patient and public involvement
• interpretive description
• symbolic interactionism
• interaction
• co-creation

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all participants who generously shared their perspectives and views and without whom this research would not have been possible.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research and article were supported by the Marselisborg Centre, Danish Centre for Rehabilitation, Research and Development, Denmark, and DEFACTUM, Central Denmark Region, Denmark.