The effect of access to a designated interdisciplinary post-acute rehabilitation service on participant outcomes after brain injury

ABSTRACT

Objective

This study aimed to determine the influence of participation in a designated acquired brain injury (ABI) transitional rehabilitation service (ABI TRS) on outcome, in the context of a historical comparison group (HIST). Design: A cohort study, with retrospective comparison. Participants: 187 persons with ABI. Measures: The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Mayo-Portland Adaptability Index (MPAI-4) and Sydney Psychosocial and Reintegration Scale (SPRS) were completed at discharge and 3 months after discharge. Participation in the ABI TRS involved interdisciplinary rehabilitation, 2–4 times per week, for 3 months after hospital discharge. Results: There was evidence that at 3 months, participants with ABI TRS showed stabilized psychological wellbeing, and improvements in MPAI-4 ability and participation scores; in addition to improvements in SPRS occupational activity and living skills scores. Conclusion: A designated ABI TRS may improve the transition from hospital to home, and could form an important part of the brain injury rehabilitation continuum, between the inpatient and community setting.

KEYWORDS:

• Complex rehabilitation
• service model
• traumatic brain injury

Competing interests

David N Borg, Mandy Nielsen, Areti Kennedy, Elizabeth Beadle, Jaycie K Bohan and Kerrin Watter declare that they were employed by the Acquired Brain Injury Translational Rehabilitation Service at the time of writing.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Additional information

Funding

The Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation Transitional Rehabilitation Service (ABI TRS) was supported by the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC). The historical comparison was supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project under Grant [LP0776294].