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Traumatic Brain Injury; Needs and Treatment Options in the Chronic Phase

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Traumatic Brain Injury
Interventions
Other: Control
Other: Patient-centered in home rehabilitation
Registration Number
NCT03545594
Lead Sponsor
Oslo University Hospital
Brief Summary

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a condition affecting the persons' central nervous system with a need for extensive and highly specialized initial health care provision followed by comprehensive rehabilitation efforts. Frequent and life-long medical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral changes are expected. The community-based services are largely responsible for dealing with the chronic challenges affecting people with TBI.

120 patients \>16 years at the time of injury and between 18 and 72 years at inclusion, with clinical TBI diagnosis on acute admission and verified injury-related intracranial abnormalities reporting cognitive, emotional and physical problems more than 2 years after the injury will be included and randomized to a patient-centered in-home program intervention and treatment as usual. The intervention consists of an individualized and goal-oriented intervention will be provided in the persons' home environment, in close collaboration with family members and local health care providers when available. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, at the end of the intervention 4 months after inclusion and one year after inclusion. Primary outcome is participation (Part-O) and TBI specific health related quality of life (Qolibri). Secondary outcomes include goal attainment within individualized targeted outcome areas, depression and anxiety, symptom burden, unmet health care needs and acceptability of intervention as assessed by patient, family member and health professional. The project will contribute to increased understanding of knowledge transfer processes, and dissemination of evidence based practice for TBI. Thus, the project has the potential to improve the current health care for patients with TBI and its delivery.

Detailed Description

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a condition affecting the persons' central nervous system with a need for extensive and highly specialized initial health care provision followed by comprehensive rehabilitation efforts. Frequent and life-long medical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral changes are expected. The community-based services are largely responsible for dealing with the chronic challenges affecting people with TBI.

120 patients \>16 years at the time of injury and between 18 and 72 years at inclusion, with clinical TBI diagnosis on acute admission and verified injury-related intracranial abnormalities reporting cognitive, emotional and physical problems more than 2 years after the injury will be included and randomized to a patient-centered in-home program intervention and treatment as usual. The intervention consists of individualized and goal-oriented strategies provided in the persons' home environment in close collaboration with family members and local health care providers. The original protocol describes a total of 8 sessions of which 2 will be telephone based. Due to the Corona pandemic hittting Norway in March 2020 the home visits had to be reduced and adapted to the individual situation of the participants. The protocol now includes 8 sessions with up to 6 of them being delivered by video. The intervention will be provided in addition to the usual treatment the participants receive in the municipality. The control group will receive the usual treatment provided in the municipality. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, at the end of the intervention 4-5 months after inclusion and one year after inclusion. Primary outcome is participation (Part-O) and TBI specific health related quality of life (Qolibri). Secondary outcomes include goal attainment within individualized targeted outcome areas, depression and anxiety, symptom burden, unmet health care needs and acceptability of intervention as assessed by patient, family member and health professional. In March 2020 a few additional questions regarding the impact of the Corona pandemic on health and participation has been included. The closedown periods of the Norwegian Society during Covid-19 will be used as covariate and/or predictors in the analysis. The project will contribute to increased understanding of knowledge transfer processes, and dissemination of evidence based practice for TBI. Thus, the project has the potential to improve the current health care for patients with TBI and its delivery.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
120
Inclusion Criteria
  • Patients >16 years at injury and 18-72 years at inclusion, with clinical TBI diagnosis on acute admission and CT/MRI verified injury-related intracranial abnormalities.
  • Patients reporting TBI-related cognitive, emotional and physical problems and/or reduced physical and mental health and/or difficulties with participation in activities with family, friends and in the community at least 2 years after the injury,
  • Able to provide informed consent and collaborate in the goal setting processing.
  • Living at home at study inclusion.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Patients are excluded if they have severe preexisting neurological disorder that would confound outcome assessments and severe psychiatric diseases
  • Patients unable to provide informed consent or participate in a goal-setting process.
  • Participants with insufficient fluency in Norwegian to allow for communication with therapists and outcome assessors will also be excluded.
  • Substance abuce or history of violence that could represent a security risk for the professionals delivering the intervention

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
ControlControlUsual follow-up assessment and health care and rehabilitation services provided in the municipality
Patient-centered in home rehabilitationPatient-centered in home rehabilitationEight contacts of about 2 hours duration each delivered over a 4-month period (Six in home visits and two telephone contacts before the Corona pandemic and adjusted to eight contacts and up to six of them video based when necessary during the Corona pandemic) in three phases:
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Participation12 months

Participation assessment and Recombined Tools- Objective (PART-O) (Social domain)

General Health12 months

Quality of Life after Brain Injury (Qolibri overall scale, sum score of 6 items )

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Global functioning4 and 12 months

Glasgow outcome scale extended (GOSE) (score 0-8)

Depression4 months (patients and family) and 12 months intervention (patients)

Patients Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) (patients and family members)

Physical and mental health (EQ-5D) and quality-adjusted life years, (QALYs)4 and 12 months

Physical and mental health (scored according to the EQ-5D algoritm )and QALYs (patients) and overall health (on a scale 0-100,family members)

Acceptability and satisfaction with the intervention4 and 12 months

Acceptability Scale assessed by patients, care providers and family members (sum score)

Target outcome areas4 and 12 months

The patient nominate their three most important problems and the difficulties they have with them on a scale from 0 to 4. Changes in the difficulty score is evaluated.

Symptom burden4 and 12 months

Rivermead post-concussion questionnaire (RPQ)(patients) (scoring algoritm)

Patient and family members, evaluating self-awareness and functioning. Patient and family members, evaluating self-awareness and functioning4 and 12 months

Patient Competency Rating Scale (PCRS) (sum score) rated by patient and family member

Caregiver burden (Caregiver burden scale)4 and 12 months

Caregiver burden-family member

Anxiety Disorder Measurement (GAD-7)4 and 12 months

Generalised Anxiety Disorder Measurement (GAD-7) (sumscore 7 items, 0-21)

Participation12 months

Participation assessment and Recombined Tools- Objective (PART-O) (domain Round and about and Productivity, Total score

General Health4 months

Quality of Life after Brain Injury (Qolibri overall scale, sum score of 6 items )

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

OUH

🇳🇴

Oslo, Norway

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