Gülşen Küçükdemirbaş, Physiotherapist

Gülşen Küçükdemirbaş is a physiotherapist in the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation unit at Acibadem Dr. Sinasi Can (Kadikoy) Hospital in İstanbul. She works with patients who require physiotherapy, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and functional rehabilitation, and she supports them through assessment and a care plan that is coordinated within the unit. She has more than eight years in medicine.

She graduated from Marmara University in 2018. In 2022 she joined Acıbadem Healthcare Services, where she continues to practice in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Her role is to assess each patient’s functional status and to carry out the rehabilitation program agreed within the unit, adjusting it as the patient’s condition and needs develop over the course of treatment.

Clinical focus

Her areas of expertise are physiotherapy, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and functional rehabilitation. Physiotherapy in this setting involves an assessment of movement, strength, balance and daily function, followed by a program of exercise and hands-on techniques that is tailored to the individual. Physical medicine and rehabilitation is concerned with restoring or maintaining function in patients whose mobility or independence has been affected by illness, injury or surgery. Functional rehabilitation focuses on the practical tasks of everyday life, such as walking, transferring, reaching and self-care, and on helping patients regain as much independence as their condition allows. Progress in rehabilitation depends on many factors, including the underlying diagnosis, the patient’s general health and the time available for treatment, so goals are set individually and reviewed regularly.

Rehabilitation programs described elsewhere on this site, such as Neurorehabilitation and Stroke Rehabilitation, belong to the wider field of physical medicine and rehabilitation. Whether any particular program is appropriate for an individual patient is decided after a clinical assessment within the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation unit, and not all programs are relevant to every patient.

How Gülşen Küçükdemirbaş works with international patients

Gülşen Küçükdemirbaş speaks Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for patients who speak other languages. Before a visit, the hospital’s international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports and imaging, for example MRI, CT, X-ray or ultrasound reports, laboratory and pathology results, operative notes and discharge summaries, and arranges appointments and organizes the hospital visit. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, a review of existing imaging and previous treatments, a clinical examination with a focus on the patient’s rehabilitation needs, and a discussion of the options. Video consultation is available for international patients, which may be useful for an initial review of the case or for follow-up after a period of treatment. International patients can expect an assessment focused on their rehabilitation needs and a care plan coordinated within the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation unit.