Vietnam Rehabilitation Guidelines

In the framework of the "Advancing Medical Care and Rehabilitation Education" project in
Vietnam, and with the guidance and support of the Ministry of Health, Humanity & Inclusion
(previously known as Handicap International) and its partners contribute to the strengthening of
medical and rehabilitation care for persons with disabilities due to brain lesion (i.e. stroke,
traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy and spina bifida and hydrocephalus).
In order to provide rehabilitation specialists (rehabilitation doctors, nurses, therapists...) with the
tools they need to properly support persons with disabilities, the project, with the financial

support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has developed up-
to-date and comprehensive "Rehabilitation Guidelines".

With the assistance of international experts and Vietnamese specialists, these guidelines have
been developed based on the latest available scientific evidences or, where evidences are still
lacking, internationally-recognized best-practices. The constant involvement and support received
from Vietnamese medical and rehabilitation professionals in the development process ensured
contextualization and ownership of these guidelines as they brought in not only their technical
expertise but also their knowledge and experiences on the Vietnamese context and the local
needs and resources.
Two types of documents have been developed. Besides the General Rehabilitation Guidelines,
which provide wide-ranging recommendations on care provision and quality principles, more
“Technical” Guidelines have also been produced for each of the targeted conditions. These
technical guidelines are specific to one "type" of care (physiotherapy, occupational therapy,
speech and language therapy; and for some conditions medical and nursing care as well). They
provide rehabilitation professionals with more specific, detailed technical guidance, allowing
them to better understand their specific role in the general rehabilitation approach and the
provision of multi-disciplinary, person-centred and evidence-based care.
The result of this process is a comprehensive set of guidelines that we hope will be widely
spread and support all rehabilitation actors in providing better and higher quality care to the
people in need.
The present English version of the Rehabilitation Guidelines has been developed with valued
support from the Vietnamese Ministry of Health. It is our hope that the Vietnamese version of
the respective guidelines will be officially endorsed by the Ministry as national guidelines for
rehabilitation care of persons with brain lesions.