Klemen Grabljevec1, Rajiv Singh2,3, Zoltan Denes4, Yvona Angerova5,6, Renato Nunes7, Paolo Boldrini8, Mark Delargy9, Sara Laxe10,11,12, Carlotte Kiekens13, Enrique Varela Donoso14,15, Nicolas Christodoulou16,17. 1. Department for Acquired Brain Injury Rehabilitation, University Rehabilitation Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia - klemen.grabljevec@ir-rs.si. 2. Unit of Osborn Neurorehabilitation, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Sheffield, UK. 3. Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health, School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. 4. National Institute for Medical Rehabilitation, Budapest, Hungary. 5. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. 6. The First Faculty of Medicine, General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic. 7. Centro de Reabilitação do Norte, Francelos, Porto, Portugal. 8. Italian Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (SIMFER), Rome, Italy. 9. National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. 10. Unit of Neurorehabilitation, Guttmann Institute Foundation, University Institute of Neurorehabilitation affiliated to UAB, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain. 11. Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain. 12. Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, Barcelona, Spain. 13. Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. 14. Department of Radiology, Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain. 15. UEMS PRM Committee for Professional Practice Chairman. 16. Limassol Center of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Cyprus. 17. UEMS PRM Section President.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Acquired brain injury (ABI) is damage to the brain that occurs after birth caused either by a traumatic or by a nontraumatic injury. The rehabilitation process following ABI should be performed by a multi-professional team, working in an interdisciplinary way, with the aim of organizing a comprehensive and holistic approach to persons with every severity of ABI. This Evidence Based Position Paper represents the official position of the European Union through the UEMS Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) Section and designates the professional role of PRM physicians for people with ABI. The aim was to formulate recommendations on the PRM physician's professional practice for persons with ABI in order to promote their functioning and enhance quality of life. METHODS: This paper has been developed according to the methodology defined by the Professional Practice Committee of the UEMS-PRM Section: a systematic literature search has been performed in PubMed and Core Clinical Journals. On the basis of the selected papers, recommendations have been made as a result of five Delphi rounds. RESULTS: The literature review as well as thirty-one recommendations are presented. CONCLUSIONS: The expert consensus is that structured, comprehensive and holistic rehabilitation program delivered by the multi-professional team, working in an interdisciplinary way, with the leadership and coordination of the PRM physician, is likely to be effective, especially for those with severe disability after brain injury.
BACKGROUND: Acquired brain injury (ABI) is damage to the brain that occurs after birth caused either by a traumatic or by a nontraumatic injury. The rehabilitation process following ABI should be performed by a multi-professional team, working in an interdisciplinary way, with the aim of organizing a comprehensive and holistic approach to persons with every severity of ABI. This Evidence Based Position Paper represents the official position of the European Union through the UEMS Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) Section and designates the professional role of PRM physicians for people with ABI. The aim was to formulate recommendations on the PRM physician's professional practice for persons with ABI in order to promote their functioning and enhance quality of life. METHODS: This paper has been developed according to the methodology defined by the Professional Practice Committee of the UEMS-PRM Section: a systematic literature search has been performed in PubMed and Core Clinical Journals. On the basis of the selected papers, recommendations have been made as a result of five Delphi rounds. RESULTS: The literature review as well as thirty-one recommendations are presented. CONCLUSIONS: The expert consensus is that structured, comprehensive and holistic rehabilitation program delivered by the multi-professional team, working in an interdisciplinary way, with the leadership and coordination of the PRM physician, is likely to be effective, especially for those with severe disability after brain injury.