Profiling early outcomes during the transition from hospital to home after brain injury

Abstract

Primary objective: To profile early outcomes during the transition from hospital to home for individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) and their family caregivers. Research design: Prospective longitudinal study with data collected at three time points: pre-discharge and 1- and 3-months post-discharge. Methods and procedures: Participants included 26 individuals with ABI and 26 family caregivers, who were assessed on measures of global functioning, psychosocial reintegration, health-related quality-of-life and emotional well-being. Changes in outcomes over time and group comparisons were examined using repeated measures ANOVAs with relevant post-hoc analyses. Results: Participants typically demonstrated improved global functioning and psychosocial reintegration during the transition period, with closer alignment of perspectives (i.e. comparisons between self-ratings of participants with ABI and ratings of family caregivers) at 3-months post-discharge on the occupational activities and living skills domains. Additionally, levels of depression and stress reported by participants with ABI were observed to increase over time. Conclusions: Collectively, the results highlight the critical nature of the transition phase for psychosocial reintegration and emotional adjustment and support the need for holistic approaches to transition-specific interventions.