INTERIM REPORT ON OUTCOMES OF ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY SEEN IN A NEWLY ESTABLISHED NEUROREHABILIATION PROGRAM

Objectives: To incorporate follow-up measures into a newly-established neurorehabilitation program for children following acquired brain injury (ABI).

Methods: All children and their families attending the BI clinic over the period of a year were invited to complete a series of outcome measures. Outcome measures were chosen to provide a global picture of each patient's recovery including their quality of life, function, family stress and support service usage. The most recent outcome scores of 46 consenting patients were correlated with length of follow-up, injury severity and other outcome scores.

Results: Families of children with mild injuries reported the highest stress levels (r=0.407, p=0.035). High family stress levels were also associated with increased length of follow-up and increased disability. Decreased quality of life was associated with increased length of follow-up (r=-0.414, p=0.04) and level of disability. Level of disability was associated with length of follow-up but surprisingly, not with injury severity.

Conclusion: Children who suffer mild head injuries usually recover fully, however a subset of these patients experience significant long-term sequelae and their families report high levels of stress and poor quality-of-life. High stress levels are associated with ongoing disability requiring longterm neurorehabilitation from the BI program.