Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury: Clinical Focus

Neurology

Decemember 1998

Clinical Focus*

How should fundamental concepts such as recovery, functional status, and disability be defined? Because brain function is highly complex, TBI has an extremely wide range of potential outcomes, including cognitive deficits, motor disabilities, emotional and social dysfunction, personality changes, and changes in appearance. As a result, therapeutic aims and perspectives vary widely among studies, as do definitions of outcomes, making valid comparisons across studies difficult.
How should the type and severity of the injury itself be measured? Variations in methods to assess the severity of injury in patients entering rehabilitation make it difficult to estimate the effectiveness of different rehabilitation methods.
Which therapies are effective, and what is the best way to match patients with treatment approaches likely to be effective for them?

*Addressed in the summary or evidence report.

Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury
Summary (Publication No. 99-E005, December 1998)
Evidence Report (Publication No. 99-E006, February 1999)
Selected Publications

EPC: Oregon Health & Science University
Topic Nominators: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Brain Injury Association