Community-based rehabilitation for physically impaired earthquake victims: An evidence-based practice protocol and its pre–post experimental study

BACKGROUND: A natural disaster like earthquake is a sudden event that causes not only the loss of life but also mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. An earthquake of 7.8 magnitudes hit Nepal and injured more than 18,500 people in 2015. There was a critical need to develop rehabilitation protocols. Therefore, we aimed to structure community-based rehabilitation protocols for physically impaired earthquake victims and to investigate immediate effect of the intervention to address disability and reduce public health burden. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Evidence-based rehabilitation protocols for various injuries were structured to address the victims’ impairments and activity limitations. The protocols were administered to 13 victims of one of the most affected community sites, for 60 min/day, 12 days in 2 weeks at their own doors. Local resources were used to make the protocols sustainable. An immediate effect of the protocols was evaluated within the group. The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule, numerical pain rating scale, and time up and go (TUG) test were used to measure disability level, pain, and mobility status, respectively. Wilcoxon's signed rank test was used to analyze pre–post data. RESULTS: All participants completed the rehabilitation without adverse effects. The treatment demonstrated significant reduction in disability level (P < 0.001, effect size = 0.63) and pain level (P = 0.007). However, change with TUG was not significant. CONCLUSION: The evidence-based, structured community rehabilitation protocols demonstrated benefits in improving the victim's quality of life. Follow-ups will be continued to explore sustainability and long-term effects of the interventions.