The USB Rector's Award for Prestigious Scientific Publications was presented to a monograph by doc. Jitka Vacková et al.

The USB Rector's Award for Prestigious Scientific Publications was presented to a monograph by doc. Jitka Vacková et al.

A scientific monograph by doc. Jitka Vacková and her team collaborators from ZSF JU has received this year's USB Rector's Award for Prestigious Scientific Publication. The monograph, published last November by Grada, is entitled: ‘Social work in the system of coordinated rehabilitation for clients after acquired brain damage (particularly stroke), paying special attention to interventions from the point of view of social work, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy.’ Doc. Mgr. et Mgr. Jitka Vacková, Ph.D., who works at the Institute of Social and Special Education Sciences of FHSS USB, received the USB Rector's Award at Wednesday's online meeting of the Scientific Board of the University of South Bohemia.

The monograph is the result of three years of endeavour by a large team of experts from the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of FHSS USB, who were involved in a unique project funded by the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. The aim of the project was to map and partially measure the coordinated rehabilitation of clients after brain damage in their natural home environment, and at the same time to help clients begin living again (despite some limitations caused by disease) using methods and techniques of social work, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, medicine, speech therapy, and psychology. Doc. Vacková said: "The project was significant from the research point of view, and at the same time it provided great support to clients who we visited regularly." The research was realised together with significant professional assistance, which, unfortunately, is not fully set up in the Czech Republic and is currently not available to clients. Therefore, the project didn’t only set research and practical goals, but also another goal that went beyond the regional level: to prove the effectiveness of such coordinated rehabilitation – which is lacking in the Czech Republic.

Coordinated rehabilitation is characterized as an interrelated process of medical, occupational, social, and pedagogical rehabilitation, the main goal of which is to minimize the consequences of an individual's disability. The focus of this publication is not only of scientific and practical significance, but also important in relation to the human dimension. In essence, the results of the experiment proved to be highly important for clients after brain injury, including their families (and informal caregivers). All of those who participated in the implementation of the project sought to show that coordinated rehabilitation (especially the coordination and involvement of a comprehensive multidisciplinary team with regard to the specific needs of clients) should be a commonly available part of the services offered in Czech society. The Dean of FHSS USB Mgr. Ivana Chloubová, Ph.D, summed up the project as follows: "This monograph is an example of the scientific and professional focus of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences."

Attached images