The increasingly swift changes in the field of medicine require a reassessment of the skills necessary for the training of technically qualified doctors. Today’s physicians also need to be capable of managing the complex issue of personal relationships with patients. Recent pedagogical debates have focused on so-called “soft skills”, whose acquisition is presented in literature as a quite recent addition to medical studies. Moreover, the historical investigation of deontological texts dating from the mid-nineteenth century back to the Hippocratic Oath shows that medicine has always discussed the need to integrate technical expertise in medicine with specific personal and relationship-based skills. Debates have often circled around whether these “soft skills” could actually be taught or how they could be successfully transmitted to training physicians. The belief that defining medicine is more complex than defining other similar sciences and that the instruments to be used in the relationship with patients cannot be limited to those provided by technical aspects shows a new awareness. Today, this view is often stated as an innovative realization on the part of doctors with regard to the complexity of training and action in a delicate area in which they are entrusted with the management of the balance of the system that is the human body.

With the aim of promoting biological, social and psychological well-being, a multi-institutional and multidisciplinary action-research process was developed for the regeneration of a large residential complex in Rome, Italy. A methodology with a community-based approach was adopted in a context where spatial segregation is intertwined with health and social inequalities. Methods: Through qualitative-quantitative analysis involving the active participation of the local population and institutions in every stage, an integrated survey model was developed in order to create proper communication between the needs of the population and sustainable solutions. Results: the implemented process allowed for clear planning of actions and interventions that could be economically sustainable through the structuring and development of a local network. Conclusions: the process involving the participation of the population in the analysis of their own problems and difficulties, as well as in the development of possible interventions and actions to be proposed, appears to be the only adequate approach that allows for the definition of mutual objectives based on the real needs of the end users.

Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) is a multi-sectorial community strategy for guaranteeing that people with disabilities enjoy the same rights and opportunities as all other community members. CBR is organized in a five-component matrix—namely, health, education, social, livelihood, and empowerment. To measure the effectiveness of CBR, the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed standardized indicators. The objective of the present study is to translate and validate the CBR indicators (CBR-Is), providing preliminary evidence of their use for disability in Italy. After obtaining permission from the WHO, the CBR-Is followed a process of translation and cross-cultural adaptation according to international guidelines. An examination of internal consistency and reliability was than performed. The intra-rater reliability was estimated using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient with a 95% confidence interval. In order to measures the differences between people with and without disabilities, an independent sample t-test was used for quantitative indicators. The Italian version of the CBR-Is (IT-CBR-Is) was administered to 234 people. The internal consistency showed a good value, with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.862, and the intra-rater reliability analysis showed solid values for each domain (range: 0.723–0.882). Statistically significant differences between people with and without disabilities were found for each domain of the CBR matrix—namely, health, social, education, livelihood, and empowerment. The IT-CBR-Is are consistent and reliable measures when used to investigate disability in a community-based inclusive development perspective. National stakeholders can now have specific indicators to implement services and actions for people with disabilities.

Good health and well-being for all, including those with disabilities, is one of the main sustainable development goals. Data on refugees and asylum seekers with disabilities are limited. Refugees have poor access to rehabilitation and assistive technologies, although laws and policies in Italy guarantee this type of healthcare. However, there are several limitations to the successful implementation of these services. First, the national health system is regionally based, and therefore healthcare facilities and services vary in terms of quality in different regions. A link between reception centers and the healthcare system is therefore highly recommended, because only 10 out of 20 regions have specific services for refugees and asylum seekers with disabilities. Second, only 2% of the total available posts for hosting refugees are reserved for people with disabilities. The lack of a standardized vulnerability assessment represents the main barrier to the organization of specific services for migrants within the community. National stakeholders urgently need to collaborate in order to remove barriers to rehabilitation and assistive technology for refugees with disabilities. Initiatives should focus on health literacy and the empowerment of migrants, data collection on health, disability, and assistive technology, and the organization of community-based rehabilitation programs.