The experience of patients with ABI and their families during the hospital stay: A systematic review of qualitative literature.
Tolu Oyesanya
PMID 28055226WHAT IT FOUND
Patients described inpatient rehab as prison-like due to lack of privacy and boredom.
Families wanted to help with care but felt ignored or feared intruding. Both groups needed specific, consistent information at distinct times during the stay to feel prepared for discharge.
Key findings
01Patients viewed the rehabilitation environment negatively, describing it as a 'prison' due to limited privacy and unstructured time that caused boredom.
02Family members wanted to participate in hands-on care, such as assisting with bathing, but often received no instructions and felt their involvement infringed on staff territory.
03Patients and families had distinct information needs at specific times, such as wanting diagnosis details immediately and discharge planning advice just before leaving.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only 11 studies were included, and only four focused on the patient experience. The review combined data from patients with different causes of ABI, including traumatic brain injury and stroke, which may have different trajectories. Many of the included studies had methodological flaws, such as unclear data collection time points or lack of detail on interview questions. Only English-language, peer-reviewed studies were included, potentially missing relevant non-English perspectives.
Declared interests
The text does not report any specific funding sources or conflicts of interest for the authors of this systematic review.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these findings apply equally to all ABI patients or that the interventions mentioned were tested for efficacy. This is a synthesis of qualitative experiences, not a trial of treatment outcomes. The small number of patient-focused studies means the patient perspective is less robustly represented than the family perspective.