Process for Developing Rehabilitation Practice Recommendations

What is the study about?

There is a critical need to generate traumatic brain injury clinical practice guidelines. The aim of this study was to form a multidisciplinary group of clinicians and researchers to identify and evaluate evidence-based best practices for patients with TBI undergoing rehabilitation and describe the process for evaluating the quality of evidence-based practices in TBI rehabilitative care. This might serve as a model for others to follow and hence, broaden the knowledge base.

What did the study find?

This study developed best practice recommendations through a consensus process by modifying a quality of evidence assessment tool. In doing so, it found a need for more evidence-based practice guidelines to improve quality of rehabilitation care. The researchers also suggested that there is need for better quality rehabilitation research, for development and use of common data elements and outcome measures. This would enable researchers to more adequately compare different studies.

Who participated in the study?

A Delphi panel of clinicians who treat TBI.

How was the study conducted?

The Population, Intervention, Control, Outcome process was used by a team of clinicians to develop a set of discipline-specific questions. A systematic review of the literature was then conducted for each question and the level of evidence from each review was assessed. Finally, a Delphi panel of clinicians who treat TBI was created to help develop best practice recommendations.

How can people use the results?

Clinicians, individuals with TBI, and their family members can use the results of this study to help them better understand the need for establishing evidence-based practices of rehabilitation care for individuals with TBI.

Reference

Callender, L., Brown, R., Driver, S., Dahdah, M., Collinsworth, A., & Shafi, S. (2017). Process for developing rehabilitation practice recommendations for individuals with traumatic brain injury. BMC Neurology, 17(1). doi:10.1186/s12883-017-0828-z

Disclaimer

The contents of this quick review were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DP0082). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this quick review do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.