Long term efficacy of an integrated neurological and vocational rehabilitation programme for young adults with acquired brain injury.

PURPOSE: To characterise and determine the pre-injury, injury and post-injury factors associated with vocational outcome 1-9 years post-discharge from a mixed therapy/educational/vocational rehabilitation (VR) residential programme.

METHODS

119 clients of working age when they acquired their brain injury and who had attended the centre between 2002 and 2011 were followed up at least 1 year post-discharge to determine their vocational outcome as part of an ongoing review/audit of the service. All clients had had a severe/very severe brain injury. Clients were classified as having a positive vocational outcome (working-paid/voluntary, full/part-time or undertaking full or part-time vocationally related education) or negative vocational outcome (undertaking neither work nor education).

RESULTS

Over half of the clients attained a positive vocational outcome. Length of time since discharge did not differ between those clients with a positive or negative vocational outcome. Vocational outcome was predicted by cognitive and motor ability at discharge, and gender. Together these variables correctly classified the vocational outcome of 76 % of the clients.

CONCLUSION

Clients with severe/very severe brain injury can attain a positive vocational outcome following intensive neurorehabilitation consisting of traditional therapies in addition to educational and VR.