Outcomes of post-acute rehabilitation for persons with brain injury

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the impact of multifaceted rehabilitation services on functional outcomes after traumatic brain injury (TBI) for individuals with significant physical and cognitive difficulties, as well as those with added behavioural complications.

Design: Cohort, non-randomized, intervention study with a pre-test–post-test, follow-up design.

Setting: Community integrated post-acute rehabilitation centre.

Participants: Individuals with primarily severe TBI receiving post-acute neurorehabilitation services (NR, n = 129) as well as similarly impaired individuals with additional antagonistic/disruptive behaviours receiving neurobehavioural services (NB, n = 76).

Interventions: Multi-faceted behavioural and cognitive therapy methods delivered individually and in groups.

Main outcome measure: The Functional Area Outcome Menu (FAOM), a behaviourally anchored 5-step scale rated by rehabilitation teams at three time periods.

Conclusions: The rehabilitation treatment model achieved significant functional gains of ∼1.5 levels for neuropsychologically-impaired adults with and without associated behavioural and substance problems.

• Neurorehabilitation (NR)
• neurobehavioural rehabilitation (NB)
• post-acute rehabilitation
• acquired brain injury
• Functional Area Outcome Menu (FAOM)