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We Finally Learnt to Demand: Consumers’ Access to Rehabilitation Following Traumatic Brain Injury

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2013

Anna Copley ,
Lindy McAllister  and
Linda Wilson
Anna Copley*
Affiliation:
University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
Lindy McAllister
Affiliation:
University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Linda Wilson
Affiliation:
Charles Sturt University, New South Wales, Australia
*
Address for correspondence: Dr Anna Copley, Division of Speech Pathology, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia. E-mail: a.ocallaghan2@uq.edu.au
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Abstract

Clinical care guidelines exist internationally recommending the appropriate standards of care for adults following brain injury. These guidelines recommend a care pathway including acute, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and community-based care. However, if and how these guidelines are implemented is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the recollected continuum of care experienced by 202 adults with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Victoria, Australia. The experiences of participants in this study were investigated using a mixed methods research approach (surveys and in-depth interviews). The results indicated that only 20% of participants in this study recollected receiving care in line with recommendations made in clinical care guidelines. Reasons they identified for their problematic access to services included: a lack of information about the services available, the absence of an advocate and services being restricted by limited funding. The findings of this study indicate that while guidelines provide recommendations regarding standards of care and can serve as a benchmark to improve the quality of services, they do not ensure the equitable delivery of services. Clinicians using these guidelines need to be aware of the factors that restrict clients’ access to services and take these into account when planning the delivery of services.

Keywords

rehabilitationconsumers’ preferencesbest practiceaccess
Type
Articles
Information
Brain Impairment , Volume 14 , Issue 3 , December 2013 , pp. 436 - 449
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2013 

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