Mr James Seymour1, Ms Toni Withiel1, Ms Celia Marston1,2,3
1Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia, 2The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia, 3Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Biography:
James Seymour is a Grade 2 Occupational Therapist, and Clinician Researcher, with 4 years of experience in acute Trauma and Neurosurgery. James has a special interest in mild TBI and the profound effects this invisible injury can have on independence and well-being. James is passionate about the development and maintenance of effective, evidence based, and sustainable models of healthcare, which recognise the under-serviced populations within brain injury.
Abstract:
Background: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and concussion can lead to persistent and burdensome symptoms which have a pervasive impact on wellbeing and quality of life. The myriads of symptoms lead to variable experiences of mTBI and precludes creation of singular treatment recommendations. It is therefore important to understand the experiences and preferences of individuals with mTBI. We aimed to understand the experiences and preferences of individuals with mTBI, to generate recommendations for future service delivery.
Method: We used a qualitative meta-synthesis approach consistent with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Three databases were searched to identify relevant primary qualitative or mixed methods studies. Studies were excluded if they were not: published in English, qualitative study designs, include a majority (i.e. >50%) of participants with mTBI, or the mean age of participants was < 16 years.
Results: 23 studies were included for review, inclusive of 306 people with a diagnosis of mTBI, 218 males and 76 females, with a mean age of 41.21 (8.19 SD) years. Three main themes defined the experiences of care for individuals with mTBI; The pervasive feelings of ambiguity and uncertainty that underpin the journey from injury to recovery, the importance of caring for the person, not the injury, and the varied experience of outcomes following care.
Discussion: Care for people with mTBI should be timely, person centred, multimodal and multidisciplinary, and emphasize positive therapeutic relationships. Future research should employ co-design principles to create a clinical pathway for individuals with mTBI.