The importance of cognitive intervention in acquired traumatic brain injury during 6 months of multidisciplinary rehabilitation: a case description

Abstract

Planning an immediate and multidisciplinary rehabilitation is crucial to reduce the significant physical, cognitive, and psychosocial impact resulting from head trauma. This study highlights the importance of ongoing cognitive rehabilitation in conjunction with other rehabilitation therapies, such as motor, occupational, and speech therapy, for a 19-year-old woman who suffered an acquired traumatic brain injury in a high-energy vehicle accident. When the patient was admitted to the hospital, their cognitive functioning (LCF) was 4 (confused-agitated state), their Barthel index was 0, their Glasgow coma scale (GCS) was 7, and their disability rating scale (DRS) was 7. The patient’s cognitive functioning improved to LCF 8 (purposeful-appropriate), numerical rating scale: 0/10, Barthel index: 53, GCS:15, and DRS: 5 at the time of discharge from the neurorehabilitation unit. In conclusion, early cognitive intervention in a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program is essential to maximizing the patient’s potential and improving the rehabilitation’s outcome.