The ISPRM is the result of the merger and integration of the International Rehabilitation Medicine Association (IRMA) and the International Federation of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (IFPM&R). The merger was accomplished and the ISPRM formed on 13 November, 1999. Its mission is to improve the knowledge, skills and attitudes of physicians in the understanding of the pathodynamics and management of impairments and disabilities, to help to improve the quality of life of people with impairments and disabilities, and to provide a mechanism to facilitate rehabilitation medicine input to international health organizations with special emphasis on those dedicated to the physical and rehabilitation field.