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Abstract
Objective: Best practice guidelines outline ways in which mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS) should be managed. In line with the existing evidence base, DMRC Headley Court established a treatment programme for UK servicemen and women with mTBI. This study explored the experiences of a sample of UK military personnel living with PPCS, who also received psycho-educational intervention (Phase 2) at this unit.
Setting: DMRC Headley Court, Southeast England.
Participants: Sixteen service personnel who had completed the intervention within 24 months prior to interview.
Design: Semi-structured qualitative interview study, with purposive sampling and thematic analysis.
Results: Participants described their mTBI in terms of: (1) onset; (2) subsequent symptom experience; (3) recovery; and (4) acceptance. All participants reported a significant degree of confusion and chaos in the aftermath of their traumatic event. These themes highlighted how, following enrolment onto the Phase 2 intervention at DMRC Headley Court, participants reported being (largely) able to manage PPCS. Further, many reported acceptance of their condition and described how they had managed to re-establish a sense of order.
Conclusions: Following a flexible and tailored intervention for PPCS, patients report feeling empowered and describe having a renewed sense of stability.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank both the participants in this study for sharing their experiences and the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. They would also like to thank the UK Military Charity, Help for Heroes, who funded this research project.