Abstract



Background and Objective: The establishment of Comprehensive Health Assessment, Education, and Rehabilitation Centers (Health Assessment Centers) is a strategic response to the necessity of realizing educational equity and integrating diagnostic-therapeutic services for children with special needs. However, the transition to this new model has created complex challenges. Since the staff are the main actors in these centers, understanding their experiences is essential for the success of this structural transformation. This study aimed to phenomenologically analyze the challenges and opportunities of health assessment centers from the perspective of the staff's lived experiences.



Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using a descriptive phenomenological approach. Participants included 20 professionals (psychologists, speech therapists, and occupational therapists) working in health assessment centers, selected via purposive sampling with at least one year of experience in the new structure. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, continued until theoretical saturation. Data analysis was performed using Colaizzi's seven-step method. To ensure the validity of the findings, strategies such as member checking and peer review by expert colleagues were employed.



Findings: Data analysis led to the identification of two main clusters: "Transformative Opportunities" and "Structural Challenges." Opportunities were explained in themes such as job meaningfulness, interdisciplinary synergy, and facilitation of early identification. In contrast, challenges emerged in key themes including "Weakening of Clinical Identity in the Face of Bureaucracy," "Dominance of Quantity over Quality Due to Pressure from Statistical Systems," "Tension Between Specialized Roles and Record-Keeping Duties," and "Limitations of Material and Physical Resources." The findings revealed that the fundamental structure of the staff's experience is influenced by a paradox between the rehabilitation mission and the technocratic requirements of the educational system, leading to a form of "professional alienation."



Conclusion: Although health assessment centers provide a new platform for integrated intervention, the dominance of a statistical perspective threatens their clinical effectiveness. To enhance the quality of interventions, revising management policies with an emphasis on reducing bureaucracy, redefining the balance between assessment and treatment, and prioritizing clinical observations by specialists over purely statistical data is essential.



Keywords: Health Assessment Centers, Lived Experience, Colaizzi’s Method, Phenomenology, Educational Challenges.