Development of the WHO STARS: A Tool for the Systematic Assessment of Rehabilitation Situation.
Pauline Kleinitz, Carla Sabariego, Alarcos Cieza
PMID 34256023WHAT IT FOUND
The WHO developed STARS, a tool for governments to systematically assess rehabilitation capacity and performance.
It uses a 4-level maturity model to help identify strengths and priorities for action. Field test results are not yet available.
Key findings
01STARS was developed to provide a comprehensive assessment of rehabilitation capacity and performance to inform government planning.
02The tool includes a Rehabilitation Maturity Model that rates components across 4 levels, from 'needs establishing' to 'needs no immediate action'.
03The final version assesses 50 components covering governance, financing, workforce, information, service delivery, and assistive technology.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The search for existing health system assessment tools was not systematic. The tool is comprehensive but not exhaustive; areas like work reintegration or substance abuse rehabilitation are not explicitly addressed. Field testing results from seven countries are not included in this paper and are described as forthcoming. The tool relies on data availability, which the authors note is often limited or incomplete in many countries.
Declared interests
The study was supported by non-U.S. government funding, specifically the World Health Organization (WHO), which developed the tool.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume STARS has been validated or proven effective in improving patient outcomes. This paper describes the development process of the tool, not the results of its implementation. The field test data that would demonstrate its practical utility are not yet available.