Telerehabilitation for OIF/OEF Returnees with Combat-Related Traumatic Brain Injury
Abstract
The telerehabilitation of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) returnees with mild or moderate combat-related Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has the following objectives: (1) care coordination for wounded veterans using distance technology via the internet, and (2) monitoring of physical and mental health outcomes using a variety of instruments. The aim of the program is to enroll a minimum of 60 veterans with TBI, at least 15 of whom have a clinical diagnosis of PTSD. Coordinating medical care at a distance, thereby reducing veterans' use of the VA health system is another important goal of this telerehabilitation intervention. The long-term goal of the program is to optimally define telerehabilitation services for all veterans with polytrauma. To date the authors have enrolled 45 veterans in the study and are actively following 40 of them (5 veterans have discontinued rehabilitation). They also have collected baseline health status data on most patients. Their initial findings indicate the following: (1) functional capabilities measured by locomotion and mobility appear to have stabilized among this cohort of veterans while deficiencies in cognition (memory, problem solving), psychosocial adjustment (anger, emotional status), and problems in integrating into society still pose challenges; (2) individualized treatment pathways are needed for rehabilitation and ultimate integration into society; and (3) veterans have expressed appreciation for the program. Veterans are required to connect via the internet to a secured commercial web site to provide responses to a variety of instruments to monitor their health: Functional Independence Measure, Functional Assessment Measure, Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique (CHART), PTSD Checklist Military Form, Modified PTSD Symptom Scale, Self-Report Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Self Report Beck Depression Inventory, and the Medical Outcomes Social Support Survey.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA516353
Entities
People
- Kris Siddharthan