A qualitative investigation of the role of paediatric rehabilitation professionals in rural South Africa: Rehabilitation professionals’ perspectives

PURPOSE: To investigate the role that rehabilitation professionals play in the rehabilitation of children with disabilities in the rural and under-resourced community of Giyani in South Africa. METHOD: A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach was used. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were used to collect data from a convenient sample of eight rehabilitation professionals. Data were transcribed verbatim by two trained students and verified by the main researcher. An inductive approach to qualitative data analysis was used. In vivo and open coding were used to generate codes. RESULTS: Analysis of data resulted in 21 codes, 9 subcategories, 5 categories and 1 theme. The role of rehabilitation professionals was described in terms of the five categories which are to examine newborn babies and children at risk, support caregivers of children with disabilities, impart skills training for caregivers of children with disabilities, rehabilitate children with disabilities and conduct follow-ups in communities where the children with disabilities reside. CONCLUSION: The role that rehabilitation professionals play in the rural and under-resourced community of Giyani in South Africa is similar to the role played in high-income countries. The role that rehabilitation professionals play is not only focused on the child but also on the family.