Community Reintegration
The process by which individuals with acquired disabilities re-establish meaningful participation in social, vocational, and community life following rehabilitation.
Full Definition
Community reintegration is a rehabilitation outcome domain that extends beyond clinical discharge, encompassing return to work, social relationships, leisure, civic participation, and independent living in the community. It is evaluated using instruments such as the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) and the CHART (Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique). In editorial contexts, the term is distinguished from 'discharge planning', which refers to the clinical process preceding discharge, and 'vocational rehabilitation', which addresses work-specific reintegration. The term is written in lowercase in general use and is not hyphenated. Documents addressing community reintegration often involve interdisciplinary authorship and mixed clinical–social language registers.
Usage
Usage note: Do not hyphenate. Distinguish clearly from 'discharge planning' in documents where both terms appear. If CIQ or CHART scores are cited, ensure these are introduced with their full names on first reference.
In Context
- "The six-month program outcomes showed significant improvements in community reintegration scores among traumatic brain injury survivors." — Program evaluation report
- "Authors were asked to define 'community reintegration' operationally in the methods section rather than assuming reader familiarity." — Research article manuscript review