Multi-disciplinary rehabilitation for acquired brain injury in adults of working age.

BACKGROUND: Evidence from systematic reviews demonstrates that multi-disciplinary rehabilitation is effective in the stroke population, in which older adults predominate. However, the evidence base for the effectiveness of rehabilitation following acquired brain injury (ABI) in younger adults has not been established, perhaps because this scenario presents different methodological challenges in research. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of multi-disciplinary rehabilitation following ABI in adults 16 to 65 years of age. SEARCH METHODS: We ran the most recent search on 14 September 2015. We searched the Cochrane Injuries Group Specialised Register, The Cochrane Library, Ovid MEDLINE(R), Ovid MEDLINE(R) In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE(R) Daily and Ovid OLDMEDLINE(R), Embase Classic+Embase (OvidSP), Web of Science (ISI WOS) databases, clinical trials registers, and we screened reference lists. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing multi-disciplinary rehabilitation versus routinely available local services or lower levels of intervention; or trials comparing an intervention in different settings, of different intensities or of different timing of onset. Controlled clinical trials were included, provided they met pre-defined methodological criteria. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Three review authors independently selected trials and rated their methodological quality. A fourth review author would have arbitrated if consensus could not be reached by discussion, but in fact, this did not occur. As in previous versions of this review, we used the method described by Van Tulder 1997 to rate the quality of trials and to perform a 'best evidence' synthesis by attributing levels of evidence on the basis of methodological quality. Risk of bias assessments were performed in parallel using standard Cochrane methodology. However, the Van Tulder system provided a more discriminative evaluation of rehabilitation trials, so we have continued to use it for our primary synthesis of evidence. We subdivided trials in terms of severity of brain injury, setting and type and timing of rehabilitation offered. MAIN RESULTS: We identified a total of 19 studies involving 3480 people. Twelve studies were of good methodological quality and seven were of lower quality, according to the van Tulder scoring system. Within the subgroup of predominantly mild brain injury, 'strong evidence' suggested that most individuals made a good recovery when appropriate information was provided, without the need for additional specific interventions. For moderate to severe injury, 'strong evidence' showed benefit from formal intervention, and 'limited evidence' indicated that commencing rehabilitation early after injury results in better outcomes. For participants with moderate to severe ABI already in rehabilitation, 'strong evidence' revealed that more intensive programmes are associated with earlier functional gains, and 'moderate evidence' suggested that continued outpatient therapy could help to sustain gains made in early post-acute rehabilitation. The context of multi-disciplinary rehabilitation appears to influence outcomes. 'Strong evidence' supports the use of a milieu-oriented model for patients with severe brain injury, in which comprehensive cognitive rehabilitation takes place in a therapeutic environment and involves a peer group of patients. 'Limited evidence' shows that specialist in-patient rehabilitation and specialist multi-disciplinary community rehabilitation may provide additional functional gains, but studies serve to highlight the particular practical and ethical restraints imposed on randomisation of severely affected individuals for whom no realistic alternatives to specialist intervention are available. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Problems following ABI vary. Consequently, different interventions and combinations of interventions are required to meet the needs of patients with different problems. Patients who present acutely to hospital with mild brain injury benefit from follow-up and appropriate information and advice. Those with moderate to severe brain injury benefit from routine follow-up so their needs for rehabilitation can be assessed. Intensive intervention appears to lead to earlier gains, and earlier intervention whilst still in emergency and acute care has been supported by limited evidence. The balance between intensity and cost-effectiveness has yet to be determined. Patients discharged from in-patient rehabilitation benefit from access to out-patient or community-based services appropriate to their needs. Group-based rehabilitation in a therapeutic milieu (where patients undergo neuropsychological rehabilitation in a therapeutic environment with a peer group of individuals facing similar challenges) represents an effective approach for patients requiring neuropsychological rehabilitation following severe brain injury. Not all questions in rehabilitation can be addressed by randomised controlled trials or other experimental approaches. For example, trial-based literature does not tell us which treatments work best for which patients over the long term, and which models of service represent value for money in the context of life-long care. In the future, such questions will need to be considered alongside practice-based evidence gathered from large systematic longitudinal cohort studies conducted in the context of routine clinical practice.

Safety of dry needling in stroke patients: a scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Spasticity is a common problem in stroke patients. Treatments of spasticity often have side effects or are insufficiently effective. Dry needling (DN) has been proposed as a potential additional option to consider in the multimodal treatment of post-stroke spasticity, although questions about its safety remain. The goal of this study is to assess the safety of DN in stroke patients. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A systematic search in Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CIHNAL and PEDro was conducted in June 2023. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts according to the eligibility criteria. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Twenty-five articles were included in this review. Only six studies reported adverse events, all of which were considered minor. None of the included studies reported any serious adverse events. In four of the included studies anticoagulants were regarded as contra-indicative for DN. Anticoagulants were not mentioned in the other included studies. CONCLUSIONS: There is a paucity of literature concerning the safety of DN in stroke patients. This review is the first to investigate the safety of DN in stroke patients and based on the results there is insufficient evidence regarding the safety of DN in stroke patients. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: Although DN could be a promising treatment in post-stroke spasticity, further research is indicated to investigate its mechanism of action and its effect on outcome. However, before conducting large clinical trials to assess outcome parameters, the safety of DN in stroke patients must be further investigated.

Improving quality in adult long covid services: Findings from the LOCOMOTION quality improvement collaborative.

The protracted form of COVID-19 known as 'long covid' was first described in 2020. Its symptoms, course and prognosis vary widely; some patients have a multi-system, disabling and prolonged illness. In 2021, ring-fenced funding was provided to establish 90 long covid clinics in England; some clinics were also established in Scotland and Wales. The NIHR-funded LOCOMOTION project implemented a UK-wide quality improvement collaborative involving ten of these clinics, which ran from 2021 to 2023. At regular online meetings held approximately 8-weekly, participants prioritised topics, discussed research evidence and guidelines, and presented exemplar case histories and clinic audits. A patient advisory group also held a priority-setting exercise, participated in quality meetings and undertook a service evaluation audit. The goal of successive quality improvement cycles aimed at changing practice to align with evidence was sometimes hard to achieve because definitive evidence did not yet exist in this new condition; many patients had comorbidities; and clinics were practically constrained in various ways. Nevertheless, much progress was made and a series of 'best practice' guides was produced, covering general assessment and management; breathing difficulties; orthostatic tachycardia and other autonomic symptoms; fatigue and cognitive impairment; and vocational rehabilitation. This paper summarises key findings with the frontline clinician in mind.

Improving sleep and learning in rehabilitation after stroke, part 2 (INSPIRES2): study protocol for a home-based randomised control trial of digital cognitive behavioural therapy (dCBT) for insomnia.

INTRODUCTION: Consolidation of motor skill learning, a key component of rehabilitation post-stroke, is known to be sleep dependent. However, disrupted sleep is highly prevalent after stroke and is often associated with poor motor recovery and quality of life. Previous research has shown that digital cognitive behavioural therapy (dCBT) for insomnia can be effective at improving sleep quality after stroke. Therefore, the aim of this trial is to evaluate the potential for sleep improvement using a dCBT programme, to improve rehabilitation outcomes after stroke. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will conduct a parallel-arm randomised controlled trial of dCBT (Sleepio) versus treatment as usual among individuals following stroke affecting the upper limb. Up to 100 participants will be randomly allocated (2:1) into either the intervention (6-8 week dCBT) or control (continued treatment as usual) group. The primary outcome of the study will be change in insomnia symptoms pre to post intervention compared with treatment as usual. Secondary outcomes include improvement in overnight motor memory consolidation and sleep measures between intervention groups, correlations between changes in sleep behaviour and overnight motor memory consolidation in the dCBT group and changes in symptoms of depression and fatigue between the dCBT and control groups. Analysis of covariance models and correlations will be used to analyse data from the primary and secondary outcomes. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has received approval from the National Research Ethics Service (22/EM/0080), Health Research Authority (HRA) and Health and Care Research Wales (HCRW), IRAS ID: 306 291. The results of this trial will be disseminated via presentations at scientific conferences, peer-reviewed publication, public engagement events, stakeholder organisations and other forms of media where appropriate. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05511285.

Polyneuropathy following COVID-19 infection: the rehabilitation approach.

A range of neurological manifestations associated with COVID-19 have been reported in the literature, but the pathogenesis of these have yet to be fully explained. The majority of cases of peripheral nervous system disease published thus far have shown a symmetrical pattern. In contrast, we describe the case of a patient with asymmetrical predominantly upper-limb sensorimotor polyneuropathy following COVID-19 infection, likely due to a multifactorial pathological process involving critical illness neuropathy, mechanical injury and inflammatory disease. His presentation, management and recovery contribute to the understanding of this complex condition and informs rehabilitation approaches.