Telerehabilitation for addressing executive dysfunction after traumatic brain injury

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Occupational Therapy

Background:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often leads to long-term challenges in community integration and executive functioning.
• The Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) approach is a client-centered, meta-cognitive strategy used in occupational therapy.
• Traditional delivery of CO-OP may present accessibility barriers for individuals with TBI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of delivering the CO-OP approach through telerehabilitation for adults with TBI.
• To evaluate the impact of telerehabilitated CO-OP on community integration and executive dysfunction.
• To explore participant satisfaction with internet-based CO-OP delivery.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving three adult males with TBI (over 10 years post-injury) and their significant others.
• The CO-OP intervention was delivered via videoconferencing, focusing on participant-identified goals.
• Outcome measures included the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory-4 Participation Index, and Dysexecutive Questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Telerehabilitation delivery of the CO-OP approach was found to be feasible.
• Participants reported self-improvement in both trained and untrained goals.
• Trends indicated reduced executive dysfunction symptoms and enhanced community integration, with high participant satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Telerehabilitation is a promising modality for delivering the CO-OP approach to individuals with TBI.
• This approach may improve community integration and executive functioning in the TBI population.
• Further research is recommended to validate these findings in larger cohorts.