Telerehabilitation needs: A survey of persons with acquired brain injury

Objective: To survey individuals with acquired brain injury to assess multiple facets of interest, access, and familiarity necessary to implement new telerehabilitation technologies. Design: Anonymous mail survey. Setting: Community. Participants: Seventy-one respondents to a survey. These individuals had experienced acquired brain injury (predominantly severe traumatic brain injury [TBI]) and were living in the community. Surveys were mailed by a state chapter of the Brain Injury Association to a random selection of members with acquired brain injury. Main Outcome Measure: Survey designed specifically for this investigation. Results: The survey responses indicate that there is great interest in the possibility of accessing telerehabilitative services among individuals with acquired brain injury. In particular, there was strong interest expressed in services that could be used to assist with problems in memory, attention, problem-solving, and activities of daily living. Conclusions: Telemedicine, and more specifically telerehabilitation, holds great promise as an adjunct to traditional clinical service delivery. Little research in thus area has been applied, however, to individuals with acquired brain injuries. Although on the surface, telerehabilitation seems to be an appropriate assessment and treatment modality for individuals with brain injury, it will only succeed if those individuals have the interest-and tine access-necessary to use new and evolving technologies.