Advancing neurorehabilitation care for severe acquired brain injury

This thesis explores advancements in neurorehabilitation for Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), focusing on pharmacotherapy for cognitive impairments, structured clinical data collection, and interprofessional team dynamics. A meta-analysis of pharmacotherapies highlights that methylphenidate has a small but significant positive effect on cognitive function in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, while other agents show limited evidence, underscoring the need for further research.
A key contribution is the development and implementation of a Measurement Feedback System
(MFS), which structures the collection of clinical data and delivers real-time feedback to clinicians, supporting precision neurorehabilitation. The data collected through the MFS is also used to build predictive models that forecast patient outcomes, such as independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL), facilitating more personalized treatment approaches.
The thesis also examines the dynamics of interprofessional teams in neurorehabilitation, emphasizing the importance of psychological safety, shared mental models, and team learning for effective collaboration. Improving these aspects of team functioning is shown to have the potential to enhance care integration and patient outcomes.
Finally, the practical application of the MFS is explored, demonstrating its impact on clinical decision-making and its role in promoting innovation in rehabilitation care. The findings offer valuable insights for improving ABI patient care and provide a foundation for future research in the field of neurorehabilitation.