Healthcare perceptions of persons with traumatic brain injuries across providers: shortcomings in the chronic phase of care

ABSTRACT

Objective

This investigation sought to examine the perceptions of individuals with mild, moderate, and severe traumatic brain injury (TBIs) toward healthcare providers across rehabilitation contexts (acute, rehabilitation, and chronic).

Methods

The mCARE-TBI survey was distributed via Qualtrics throughout the US and Canada. Sixty-four survey responses met criteria for analysis. Participants were ≥18 years old, one-year post onset, reported no unrelated neurological deficits prior to the single TBI, and reported no prior diagnosed psychiatric disorders. The mCARE was the primary outcome measure. Comparisons were made between provider ratings on each question.

Results

Significant differences were found between chronic-phase care, compared to acute care and rehabilitation. Group differences were found in transitioning home after discharge and in between each therapy discipline and both nurses and doctors, as well as for really listening and pairwise differences between therapy disciplines and both nurses and doctors. Group effects were found for showing compassion and care and being positive.

Conclusions

All disciplines need to improve communication, and transition care/discharge planning. Dismissal of ongoing impairments continues to be an area of perceived concern with doctors in particular. Communication training is needed, particularly for nurses and doctors.

KEYWORDS:

• Healthcare perceptions
• traumatic brain injury
• patient-reported experience measures [up to 10]
• Patient-reported experience measures (PREMs)

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the participants for dedicating their time to engage in this project. Special thanks to the second author’s thesis committee members who provided wise counsel about the development of this work (names removed for blind review). Finally, we wish to thank Dr Juliet Haarbauer-Krupa for formative conversations about healthcare perceptions among individuals with TBI.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/02699052.2024.2311332

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.