A Grand Unified Theory of Rehabilitation (We Wish!). The 57th John Stanley Coulter Memorial Lecture
Presented in part to the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, October 6, 2007, Washington, DC.
Abstract
Whyte J. A grand unified theory of rehabilitation (we wish!). The 57th John Stanley Coulter memorial lecture.
There has been much discussion of the need to enhance the evidence base supporting rehabilitation practice. Much of this discussion focuses on the need for gathering useful empirical data to support or refute the benefit of specific treatments and services. In contrast, little attention has been paid to the role of theory in advancing science in general and rehabilitation science in particular. This lecture focuses on the role that theory has played in scientific progress and examines some of the theoretical frameworks that may have useful applications to rehabilitation research.
Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, and Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA.
Correspondence to John Whyte, MD, PhD, Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, 60 E Township Line Rd, Elkins Park, PA 19027.
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the authors or upon any organization with which the authors are associated.
ABSTRACT