ARENAH: Analysis of the rehabilitation program for ABI

Why are we doing this study?

The current rehabilitation process within Visio is regularly experienced as quite strenuous by clients with an acquired brain injury (ABI, Dutch: NAH). This research is aimed for balancing the effort and questions of the client with the amount of diagnostics and duration of rehabilitation trajectory without this influencing the result of the treatment. Thus can a client rehabilitate in a more targeted, efficient and faster way. As a result, the client is prioritized and the organization is changed accordingly.

What is the aim of this study?

The aim of this project is to:

1. Evaluate the effect of neuro-visual rehabilitation.
2. Organizing care based on the client’s request for help and condition

How do we conduct this study?

This project defines three different rehabilitation trajectories. The first trajectory will serve as an evaluation of the current rehabilitation program within Visio. The second and third trajectory will explore the possibilities of a shortened rehabilitation program. The trajectories are classified as follows:

• Research trajectory 1: Regular care.
• Research trajectory 2: A more targeted visual function assessment (Dutch: VFO) by arranging it to the specific needs of the client and applying guidelines that provide an indication for assigning a neuropsychological assessment (Dutch: NPO).
• Research trajectory 3: Exploration of the support request from the client by the occupational therapists prior to the other research products.

The effect of the trajectory on the final rehabilitation of the client is measured on the basis of a PROM and PREM questionnaire, which are administered before the start (PROM) and after the completion (PROM/PREM) of the rehabilitation process.

Setting up the research trajectories is done by means of 7 different work packages. These work packages consist of setting up and administering the PROM/PREM with the help of experts from the Dutch Eye association (Patient and interest organization for people with an eye condition), setting up a more targeted visual function assessment, establishing and applying guidelines for assigning a neuropsychological assessment and analyzing the role and added value of psycho-education through structured interviews. The effect of the shortened rehabilitation trajectory is measured with the following outcome measures: customer satisfaction, waiting list duration, outcome measures of the treatment, insight into the client’s condition and limitations and quality of life.

Preliminary results and conclusions

At this point, the data collection of the first research trajectory has started. (Preliminary) results will be posted when available.