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Limited epidemiologic data undermine the identification of patients in a minimally conscious state (MCS) and needed health policy analysis. Based on the natural history of disorders of consciousness and the evolution of MCS, we propose 2 models to characterize MCS epidemiology: a severity model to integrate diagnostic and severity ...

Describes a pilot program initiated in 1991 to address the problems of substance abuse among persons who have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI). The treatment model is community-based, using an interdisciplinary staff with expertise in TBI, vocational rehabilitation, and substance abuse treatment in order to support and enhance existing ...

Study of depression among older adult native Americans in the Great Lakes region. Data are from interviews with 309 individuals living in urban, rural, and reservation settings. Depression prevalence and its correlates were examined. It was found that 18.3% of the sample scored above the cutoff for depression. Predictors ...

Sixty individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who were at least 1 year post-injury were administered measures of social communication, societal participation, social integration, and life satisfaction. Clinicians and significant others also rated the social communication skills of the subjects. Results showed that subjects with TBI were able to ...

Article describing a group psychotherapy model used with individuals with acute or postacute traumatic brain injury (TBI) within a comprehensive rehabilitation center. The psychotherapy groups focus on treatment of substance abuse and frustration management through education, social support, and development of interpersonal skills. Practical considerations of running such groups ...

Discusses variables contributing to the necessity of a return to an acute care facility from an inpatient rehabilitation facility among people who have sustained traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Argues that history of pneumonia and history of recent surgery are significant contributing factors, with serum hemoglobin levels also exhibiting a ...

Study comparing outcomes of 69 acute and 53 subacute geriatric rehabilitation patients matched on demographic and medical characteristics. Outcome differences identified in this study include: lower functional independence measure (FIM) scores for subacute patients on admission and discharge; significantly longer length of stay for subacute patients; and a higher ...

Article reviews the basic principles underlying recent advances in genetics and describes the current literature regarding the impact of genetic factors on outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Allelic association analysis is used to determine whether inheritance of certain genetic factors results in a worse or better functional outcome. ...

Article presents a study conducted to: (1) build an Internet-based virtual rehabilitation center (VRC) that provides rehabilitation, education, and support to individuals with traumatic brain injury; and (2) determine the relationships between the nature and severity of the participants' cognitive impairments and their ability to use the VRC. All ...

Describes the incidence of data processing errors in scientific studies. Gives general principles to guide data set clean-up and suggests specific techniques and strategies for preventing transcription, coding, and keystroke errors as well as for cleaning up data sets after data entry has been performed. ...

injury (TBI) severity according to posttraumatic amnesia (PTA) duration, designating “greater than 7 days” as the most severe. PTA durations of more than 7 days are common in neurorehabilitation populations. Moreover, no study has derived a PTA severity schema anchored to late outcome. The purpose of this study was ...

Article reviews existing knowledge of the quality of life (QOL) of people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and makes recommendations for future research in this area. Research relevant to the following areas is discussed: (1) QOL as achievements, (2) QOL as subjective well-being (SWB), (3) QOL as utility, (4) ...

Study evaluated the degree to which medical rehabilitation research papers published in 1997 and 1998 provided evidence of the reliability, validity, and other clinimetric qualities of the outcome measured used in the studies. The 171 papers identified included 651 outcome measures. Reliability information was provided for 20.1 percent of ...

Article describes the rates, risk factors, and phenomenology of depression over 3 to 5 years after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Depressive symptoms were evaluated in 283 subjects using the Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Demographic information, brain injury severity, and the subject's preinjury psychosocial history were evaluated in relation to ...

Article describes neuropsychologic functioning, emotional status, functional outcomes, and perceived quality of life in patients 3 to 5 years after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). A battery of measures was used to collect data, including the Abbreviated Injury Scale, the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, the Center ...

Study investigated whether clinician expertise and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) instrument rating difficulty contribute to clinician overconfidence in the assessment of patient functional status. Accurate assessment of functional status is crucial for proper case-mix group classification under Medicare's prospective payment system. Fifty medical rehabilitation professionals answered 60 true/false questions ...

Primary objective: To examine return to driving and variables associated with that activity in a longitudinal database. Research design: Retrospective analysis of a large, national database. Methods and procedures: The sample was comprised of people with predominantly moderate–severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) enrolled in the TBI Model System national ...

Full community integration, or participation;jn society, is the ultimate goal of rehabilitation and of research conducted in the field of rehabilitation for persdns with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Community integration has been traditionally defined by 3 main areas: employment or other productive activity, independent living, and social activity. However, ...