An evaluation of health-related quality of life of patients aroused from prolonged coma when treated by physiotherapists with or without training in the 'Academy of Life' programme

• Published in: Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine Vol. 20; no. 2; pp. 361 - 365
• Main Authors: Tomaszewski, Wiesław, Mańko, Grzegorz, Ziółkowski, Artur, Pąchalska, Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Poland Institute of Rural Health 2013
• Subjects: Brain Injuries - rehabilitation; Coma; Coma - rehabilitation; Female; Humans; Male; Motor vehicles; Patients; Physical Therapy Specialty - methods; Poland; Quality of Life; Rehabilitation; Statistical analysis; Surveys and Questionnaires; Training; Traumatic brain injury; Treatment Outcome; Poland
• ISSN: 1232-1966; 1898-2263

To evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients aroused from prolonged coma after a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) treated by physiotherapists trained in the 'Academy of Life' programme. It was assumed that physiotherapists who acquired this knowledge and experience would create a better therapeutic milieu, and would be more effective than physiotherapists who had not received this training.
40 patients who had suffered a severe TBI in a motor vehicle accident and had been aroused from prolonged coma were examined. All the patients underwent long-term rehabilitation according to a standard, phased programme. They were divided into two numerically even groups: an experimental group, treated by therapists trained in the 'Academy of Life' programme, and a control group, treated by physiotherapists who were not trained in this programme. The research instruments included an analysis of documentation, a structured clinical interview, and the Quality of Life Scale.
As hypothesized, the experimental group showed significant improvement in HRQOL, whereas in the control group improvement was statistically non-significant.
The patients from the experimental group, treated by physiotherapists trained in the 'Academy of Life', obtained a significantly greater improvement in physical and social functioning, and thus in HRQOL, than patients from the control group.