Goal Attainment in an Individually Tailored and Home-Based Intervention in the Chronic Phase after Traumatic Brain Injury.

Solveig L Hauger,Unni Sveen,Solrun Sigurdardottir,Marianne Løvstad,Ingerid Kleffelgård,Cecilie Røe,Ida M H Borgen,Cathrine Brunborg,Marit V Forslund,Helene L Søberg,Nada Andelic

doi:10.3390/jcm11040958

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a heterogeneous condition with long-term consequences for individuals and families. Goal-oriented rehabilitation is often applied, but there is scarce knowledge regarding types of goals and goal attainment. This study describes goal attainment in persons in the chronic phase of TBI who have received an individualized, SMART goal-oriented and home-based intervention, compares goal attainment in different functional domains, and examines indicators of goal attainment. Goal attainment scaling (GAS) was recorded in the intervention group (n = 59) at the final session. The goal attainment was high, with 93.3% increased goal attainment across all goals at the final session. The level of goal attainment was comparable across domains (cognitive, physical/somatic, emotional, social). Gender, anxiety symptoms, self-reported executive dysfunction, and therapy expectations were indicators of goal attainment. These results indicate a potential for the high level of goal attainment in the chronic phase of TBI. Tailoring of rehabilitation to address individual needs for home-dwelling persons with TBI in the chronic phase represents an important area of future research.

Highlights

The high levels of goal attainment found across patients with different injury severity, time since injury, current level of functioning, and different goal domains indicated that the intervention format is well suited for many individuals in the chronic phase of Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
The level of goal attainment was equal across goal domains, which implies that the intervention was sufficiently tailored to allow participants to work effectively on a broad range of issues
This study provides a transparent look at a goal-oriented approach in delivering rehabilitation interventions in the chronic phase of brain injury

Summary

Introduction

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a costly condition with long-lasting impact for many individuals [1,2,3]. Persons who suffer a TBI might experience a variety of consequences, including difficulties with physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, vocational, and social functioning. Many experience persistently reduced quality of life and restrictions in community participation [4,5,6,7,8,9]. Families are affected and may have to adapt to a new life with their injured family member being dependent on their assistance and support [10,11,12,13,14]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion