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

To profile early outcomes during the transition from hospital to home for individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) and their family caregivers.

Prospective longitudinal study with data collected at three time points: pre-discharge and 1- and 3-months post-discharge.

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.

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.

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.