Implementation Intentions for Self-Selected Occupational Therapy Goals: Two Case Reports.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Occupational Therapy
• Cognitive Rehabilitation

Background:

• Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) often results in cognitive and functional impairments.
• Metacognitive strategy instruction (MSI) is a common intervention for improving cognitive function after mTBI.
• Enhancing goal attainment in occupational therapy for mTBI survivors remains a key challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of a combined intervention using metacognitive strategy instruction (MSI) and implementation intentions for adults with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).
• To assess the impact of this combined intervention on occupational performance goal achievement.

Main Methods:

• A six-session intervention was delivered to two participants with mTBI.
• Participants set daily implementation intentions for their occupational therapy goals.
• Implementation intention quality was assessed using a rubric, and goal achievement was measured by the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and goal attainment scaling.

Main Results:

• Implementation intentions consistently received perfect quality scores, indicating successful learning of the technique.
• Participants demonstrated significant improvements in COPM self-ratings, exceeding minimal detectable change.
• Goal attainment scaling indicated better-than-expected achievement of occupational performance goals.

Conclusions:

• The combined intervention of MSI and implementation intention training is feasible for adults with mTBI.
• Implementation intentions may serve as a valuable adjunct to MSI, enhancing clients' ability to achieve occupational performance goals.
• Further research is warranted to explore the broader efficacy of this intervention.