Feasibility and acceptability of a brief intervention to improve mild traumatic brain injury recovery: Problem-solving training-concussion.
Paul R King, Gregory P Beehler, Kerry Donnelly and 5 others
PMID 36892882WHAT IT FOUND
Veterans with mild TBI found a brief problem-solving program feasible and acceptable in primary care.
Seven of twelve who started finished all six sessions. Those who completed treatment reported significantly less psychological distress.
Key findings
01Seven of the twelve enrolled Veterans completed the full six-session intervention.
02Participants who completed all six sessions reported a significant reduction in psychological distress.
03Qualitative feedback indicated that participants found the treatment procedures feasible to complete during a primary care appointment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The sample was very small (12 enrolled) and homogeneous (all White males), limiting generalizability. The study was unblinded and lacked a control group, so improvements cannot be confidently attributed to the intervention rather than natural recovery or placebo effects. The trial was heavily disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which likely caused most dropouts and forced a shift to telehealth, complicating the assessment of feasibility. TBI history and symptoms were based on self-report and screening tools, not comprehensive diagnostic interviews. The study was designed to test feasibility and acceptability, not efficacy, so the significant reduction in distress should be viewed as a preliminary signal only.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the significant reduction in distress as proof that the intervention causes recovery. The study was a small, uncontrolled pilot with no comparison group, and the sample was limited to White male Veterans, so the results only suggest the approach is feasible and worth testing in a larger randomized trial.