TY - JOUR
T1 - Neurorehabilitation for people with disorders of consciousness
T2 - an international survey of health-care structures and access to treatment, (Part 1)
AU - Maurer-Karattup, Petra
AU - Zasler, Nathan
AU - Thibaut, Aurore
AU - Poulsen, Ingrid
AU - Lejeune, Nicolas
AU - Formisano, Rita
AU - Løvstad, Marianne
AU - Hauger, Solveig
AU - Morrissey, Ann Marie
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Aims: The provision of rehabilitation services for people with disorders of consciousness (DoC) may vary due to geographical, financial, and political factors. The extent of this variability and the implementation of treatment standards across countries is unknown. This study explored international neurorehabilitation systems for people with DoC. Methods: An online survey (SurveyMonkey®) was disseminated to all members of the International Brain Injury Association (IBIA) DoC Special Interest Group (SIG) examining existing rehabilitation systems and access to them. Results: Respondents (n = 35) were from 14 countries. Specialized neurorehabilitation was available with varying degrees of access and duration. Commencement of specialized neurorehabilitation averaged 3–4 weeks for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 5–8 weeks for non-traumatic brain injury (nTBI) etiologies. Length of stay in inpatient rehabilitation was 1–3 months for TBI and 4–6 months for nTBI. There were major differences in access to services and funding across countries. The majority of respondents felt there were not enough resources in place to provide appropriate neurorehabilitation. Conclusions: There exists inter-country differences for DoC neurorehabilitation after severe acquired brain injury. Further work is needed to implement DoC treatment standards at an international level.
AB - Aims: The provision of rehabilitation services for people with disorders of consciousness (DoC) may vary due to geographical, financial, and political factors. The extent of this variability and the implementation of treatment standards across countries is unknown. This study explored international neurorehabilitation systems for people with DoC. Methods: An online survey (SurveyMonkey®) was disseminated to all members of the International Brain Injury Association (IBIA) DoC Special Interest Group (SIG) examining existing rehabilitation systems and access to them. Results: Respondents (n = 35) were from 14 countries. Specialized neurorehabilitation was available with varying degrees of access and duration. Commencement of specialized neurorehabilitation averaged 3–4 weeks for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 5–8 weeks for non-traumatic brain injury (nTBI) etiologies. Length of stay in inpatient rehabilitation was 1–3 months for TBI and 4–6 months for nTBI. There were major differences in access to services and funding across countries. The majority of respondents felt there were not enough resources in place to provide appropriate neurorehabilitation. Conclusions: There exists inter-country differences for DoC neurorehabilitation after severe acquired brain injury. Further work is needed to implement DoC treatment standards at an international level.
KW - brain injury
KW - Disorders of consciousness
KW - minimally conscious state
KW - neurorehabilitation
KW - unresponsive wakefulness syndrome
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85132172515&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/02699052.2022.2059813
DO - 10.1080/02699052.2022.2059813
M3 - Article
C2 - 35708273
AN - SCOPUS:85132172515
SN - 0269-9052
VL - 36
SP - 850
EP - 859
JO - Brain Injury
JF - Brain Injury
IS - 7
ER -