Head injury rehabilitation: 4 years' experience in Edinburgh

A survey was done of all cases of head injury admitted to a neurorehabilitation unit which, while mainly servicing the regional acute head injury unit, receives patients from throughout Scotland. During the 4 calendar years 1983-1986, 183 new cases of head injury were treated. The patients were predominantly young adult males the great majority of whom had suffered severe head injuries. Most were directly transferred from neurosurgical units within 6 months of injury. The length of stay in the unit varied from less than 1 month for half of the patients to as long as 10 months. Eighty-four per cent of patients were discharged home. The limitations and constraints upon the service are described and the need for a rational approach to the development of head injury rehabilitation facilities in the United Kingdom are discussed.