Community reintegration following acquired brain injury.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the interventions and strategies used to enable transition from acute care or post-acute rehabilitation to the community following brain injury. METHODS AND MAIN OUTCOMES: A systematic review of the literature from 1980-2005 was conducted focusing on ABI rehabilitation. Five major aspects of community reintegration, including independence and social integration, caregiver burden, satisfaction with quality of life, productivity and return to driving were considered. RESULTS: With the exception of one, the majority of interventions are supported by only limited evidence, denoting an absence of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the literature. Of 38 studies evaluated for this review, only one RCT was found. That RCT provided moderate evidence that behavioural management, coupled with caregiver education, did not help to improve caregiver burden. CONCLUSIONS: Further research, using an interventional approach, is required to advance the evidence base of reintegration into the community following brain injury.