{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T13:33:46Z","timestamp":1787924026508,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"AOSIS","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,23]],"date-time":"2024-04-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1713830400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>South Africa\u2019s current healthcare system is unequal and inefficient, with 71% of the population accessing underfunded public healthcare facilities. The imminent National Health Insurance (NHI) aims to balance the inequality between private and public health services by providing universal healthcare. The high levels of road accidents, violence and injuries in South Africa, being one of the quadruple burdens of diseases frequently causing hand injuries with resultant devastating economic and functional implications without rehabilitation services, are concerning. The plea is that for specialised injuries, such as hand injuries, the NHI implementation requires innovative interprofessional health education and practice when managing individuals who sustained hand injuries optimally to return to preinjury functioning. When considering the devastating burden of mismanaged hand injuries on all levels of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework, all South Africans deserve rehabilitation by physiotherapists and occupational therapists based on each occupation\u2019s unique strengths. Anecdotally, a lack of interprofessional undergraduate and postgraduate hand rehabilitation education and hand-injured patient management exists in South Africa, highlighting the need for urgent change towards future practice and NHI. This commentary aims to apply the ICF core sets to inform interprofessional hand rehabilitation delivery by physiotherapists and occupational therapists.\n\nClinical implication: Interprofessional rehabilitation framed in the ICF Core Set, accompanied by inclusive interprofessional education opportunities according to the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSAs) scope of practice, will benefit South Africans who sustained hand injuries to fully recover and maximise their functional performance considering the type of injuries sustained.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/sajp.v80i1.1969","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,23]],"date-time":"2024-04-23T05:28:27Z","timestamp":1713850107000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["National Health Insurance interprofessional practice implementation in hand rehabilitation service delivery in South Africa"],"prefix":"10.4102","volume":"80","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1513-295X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Monique M.","family":"Keller","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03rp50x72","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of the Witwatersrand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2580","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Angermann, P. & Lohmann, M., 1993, \u2018Injuries to the hand and wrist. A study of 50,272 injuries\u2019, Journal of Hand Surgery 18(5), 642\u2013644. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/0266-7681(93)90024-A","DOI":"10.1016\/0266-7681(93)90024-A"},{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cieza, A., Ewert, T., Ustun, T.B., Chatterji, S., Kostanjsek, N. & Stucki, G., 2004, \u2018Development of ICF core sets for patients with chronic conditions\u2019, Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine-supplements 44, 9\u201311. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/16501960410015353","DOI":"10.1080\/16501960410015353"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Coovadia, H., Jewkes, R., Barron, P., Sanders, D. & McIntyre, D., 2009, \u2018The health and health system of South Africa: Historical roots of current public health challenges\u2019, The Lancet 374(9692), 817\u2013834. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/S0140-6736(09)60951-X","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(09)60951-X"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"De Putter, C.E., Selles, R.W., Polinder, S., Panneman, M.J., Hovius, S.E. & Van Beeck, E.F., 2012, \u2018Economic impact of hand and wrist injuries: Healthcare costs and productivity costs in a population-based study\u2019, The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 94(9), e56. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2106\/JBJS.K.00561","DOI":"10.2106\/JBJS.K.00561"},{"key":"ref4","unstructured":"Functioning and Disability Reference Group, 2010, The ICF: An overview, World Health Organization, viewed 09 November 2023, from https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/data\/icd\/icfoverview_finalforwho10sept.pdf."},{"key":"ref5","unstructured":"Health Professions Act 56 of 1974, Regulations defining the scope of the profession of physiotherapy, viewed 12 July 2023, from https:\/\/www.hpcsa.co.za\/Uploads\/professional_boards\/ppb\/regulations\/regulations_gnr2301_76.pdf."},{"key":"ref6","unstructured":"Health Professions Act 56 of 1974, Rules relating to the registration by Physiotherapists of additional qualifications, viewed 10 July 2023, from https:\/\/www.hpcsa.co.za\/Uploads\/professional_boards\/ppb\/rules\/rules_bn72_2007.pdf."},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hill, C., Riaz, M., Mozzam, A. & Brennen, M.D., 1998, \u2018A regional audit of hand and wrist injuries: A study of 4873 injuries\u2019, Journal of Hand Surgery 23(2), 196\u2013200. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/S0266-7681(98)80174-5","DOI":"10.1016\/S0266-7681(98)80174-5"},{"key":"ref8","unstructured":"HPCSA Scope of Physiotherapy, 1976, The South African Medical and Dental Council, viewed 10 July 2023, from https:\/\/www.saphysio.co.za\/media\/178210\/hpcsa-scope-of-physiotherapy.pdf."},{"key":"ref9","unstructured":"ICF Research Branch, 2017, Comprehensive ICF Core Set for Hand Conditions, viewed 11 July 2023, from https:\/\/www.icf-research-branch.org\/images\/ICF%20Core%20Sets%20Download\/Comprehensive_ICF_Core_Set_for_Hand_Conditions.pdf."},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Keller, M.M., 2023, \u2018Hand therapy: Inclusive care by South African physiotherapists\u2019, South African Journal of Physiotherapy 79(1), a1942. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/sajp.v79i1.1942","DOI":"10.4102\/sajp.v79i1.1942"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Khan, H. & Sivakumar, B., 2016, \u2018Soft tissue injuries of the hand\u2019, in D.M. 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