News

Swiss Paraplegic Research (SPR) is once again recognized and funded by the federal government as a “research facility of national importance” in 2025-2028. This makes SPR one of the few research institutes in Switzerland to receive this special recognition for the fifth time.

The federal government and the canton of Lucerne are once again funding the SPR with CHF 1.1 million annually. The federal and cantonal governments have been supporting SPR since 2008 due to its unique research focus. SPR researches topics and issues that arise in the lives of people with spinal cord injury and thus makes an important contribution to their health, social integration and quality of life.

Carla Sabariego has been appointed Full Professor of Rehabilitation and Healthy Ageing at the University of Lucerne. This bridge professorship between the University of Lucerne and Swiss Paraplegic Research is a significant recognition of her outstanding scientific achievements.

In her research, Carla Sabariego focuses on the measurement of functioning and applies implementation research methods to promote the integration of rehabilitation services in healthcare systems.

We congratulate Carla on this success and look forward to working with her in the future!

We are pleased to announce the publication of the proceedings of the first National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) workshop outside America, held at the University of Lucerne in February 2024: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/27763/aging-functioning-and-rehabilitation-proceedings-of-a-workshop

Using the World Health Organization's concept of functioning, the workshop focused on healthy aging and the future of rehabilitation as a health strategy. Speakers explored the great potential of functioning-based rehabilitation to uniquely address the major health and healthcare challenges of society. Here is a recording of the workshop and the panelists' slides.

Swiss Paraplegic Research and the University of Lucerne have developed the online course "ICF-StARS", which is freely available (at no cost for participating): https://www.swissmooc.ch/courses/StARS/

Course objective:

The course provides the basics for understanding functioning and for the reporting of functioning information in a standardized manner by using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF).

Target group:

The course is aimed at interested people who work with functioning data (assessment and reporting), including healthcare professionals, researchers, students, quality managers and other professionals in the health system.

When: August 12 – September 4, 2024

Mode: Self-study with flexible attendance online

Workload: 30 hours in total (equivalent to 1 ECTS)

Language: English

The new annual report of the Swiss Paraplegic Foundation and its subsidiaries is available online (in German only) at report.paraplegie.ch/2023. There you will also find some highlights from the year 2023, a video message from the President of the Foundation Board, and a section on sustainability in the Swiss Paraplegic Group. The report on Swiss Paraplegic Research is available at this link.

An important moment for Swiss health policy: On 15 February 2024, the 1st LIFE Forum Rehabilitation took place at the University of Lucerne. The topic was the WHO resolution “Strengthening Rehabilitation in Health Systems” and how it can be implemented in Switzerland. This question was discussed by high-level experts from education, research, clinical practice, health policy, and patients.

All information about the event (and soon the presentations) can be found at this link.

We would like to thank the organising committee and especially the staff of Swiss Paraplegic Research, Diana Pacheco Barzallo, Carla Sabariego, Urban Schwegler, Melissa Selb, and our director Gerold Stucki, for organising this first successful forum.

About the WHO resolution:
The WHO Resolution “Strengthening Rehabilitation in Health Systems”, adopted in May 2023, emphasizes the central role of rehabilitation in improving the quality of life of patients and reducing the burden on health systems. The 194 Member States adopted the resolution unanimously. A WHO resolution is not binding but provides a compass for countries to follow.

About LIFE:
The aim of the Lucerne Initiative for Functioning, Health and Well-being (LIFE) is to establish a new understanding of health as functioning in society and to embed it in the health care system. LIFE also aims to promote interdisciplinarity in the Swiss rehabilitation landscape and to strengthen cooperation between education, research, practice, and politics.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) dedicates an article and a podcast to Swiss Paraplegic Research's paper on the ‘human functioning revolution’.

The concept of ‘human functioning’ integrates peoples’ biological health but also their lived experience of health. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is based on the concept. Although the concept and the ICF as framework for assessing functioning were conceived more than 20 years ago, they have not yet become a standard part of health practice.

The authors argue that the human functioning concept could revolutionize health systems and engender a new interdisciplinary field benefitting research, healthcare, and policy. They advocate a paradigm shift implementing functioning as the third indicator of health alongside mortality and morbidity. The fact that the WEF is including the topic on its agenda is an important step in promoting the recognition and application of functioning.

Congratulations to the authors, our group leaders Jerome Bickenbach, Sara Rubinelli and our director Gerold Stucki!

Links:

• WEF article and podcast
• Scientific publication
• Short video about the relevance of human functioning
• Frontiers in Science article hub with more information on the concept, expert insights, and an interview with the authors

Researchers from Swiss Paraplegic Research (SPF) and the University of Lucerne have studied public authority communication during the Corona pandemic. The study shows what the biggest hurdles in communication were for public health offices and how offices should prepare for the next pandemic. The investigation, led by SPF group leader Sara Rubinelli and Nicola Diviani, is part of a research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).

The researchers interviewed 25 people from the cantonal health offices and the Federal Office of Public Health about the obstacles they faced in COVID-19 communication with the public. The most important barriers with respect to health departments were:

• Insufficient experience and skills to communicate quickly and effectively with the public during a crisis
• Gaps in knowledge about crisis communications and how to use social media
• Too few staff to deal with the massive increase in the public's need for information
• Rigid administrative structures, so that needed resources such as money and personnel were not reallocated
• Fixed processes, so that no creative and flexible approaches to communication could be tried out

In addition, external circumstances made it difficult for health departments to communicate:

• The complexity of the scientific situation surrounding COVID-19 and the difficulty of communicating uncertain and transient scientific findings to the public in clear messages
• The rapid spread of half-truths and fake news via social media
• The declining public trust in science and institutions

The study's lessons for future crises:

To better prepare government health communications for future crises, more specific training and additional communications staff are needed, for one thing.  But this is not enough: a paradigm shift is also needed: all those involved must become aware of the central role of communication in the health sector. This is the only way to ensure the effectiveness of health communication for upcoming crises, the study suggests.

Publication:

Sara Rubinelli, Clara Häfliger, Maddalena Fiordelli, Alexander Ort, and Nicola Diviani: Institutional Crisis Communication during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Switzerland. A Qualitative Study of the Experiences of Representatives of Public Health Organizations. “Patient Education and Counseling”, September 2023 issue. Link to study

On 1 July 2020, 17 students from 11 countries have started their research internship at SPF in Nottwil. For the next nine months, they will be working on various research projects as part of the Master program in Health Sciences at the University of Lucerne. The students will deepen their understanding on spinal cord injury and contribute to research areas in rehabilitation, epidemiology, psychology, neurobiology, health communication, clinical quality management, and health systems.

For the eighth consecutive year, Nottwil opens its doors to master students, who are interested in research on spinal cord injury!

For additional information on the Master in Health Sciences:
https://www.unilu.ch/en/study/study-programmes/masters-degrees/health-sciences-and-medicine/master-in-health-sciences/#section=c20424

For information on research projects conducted by students in the past years:
https://www.paraplegie.ch/spf/en/academic-career/career/master-program

With the Doctor honoris causa the Department of Health Sciences and Medicine at the University of Lucerne honors on 5 November 2020 the outstanding contribution Prof. Bickenbach has made to the development of the Department and ensuring its international recognition. Rooted in philosophy and law Prof. Bickenbach has advanced the conceptual foundation of the health, functioning and rehabilitation sciences. Most importantly, he is the scientific brain behind WHO’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) launched in 2001. Understanding the need to bridge research and practice, he has spearheaded the “learning health system” to strengthen the response of health systems to the health needs of populations, including those living with spinal cord injury. He has also inspired generations of health scientists worldwide. For many, he has become a mentor and friend.