Objective: This research examined the long-term outcomes of rehabilitation patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Design: Retrospective cohort study.
Setting and subjects: We examined consecutive records of persons with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury who were discharged from a large rehabilitation hospital in Pennsylvania from 1973 to 1989. We interviewed consenting participants (n = 306) up to 24 years post-injury.
Main outcome measures: Self-rated health, activity limitations, employment, living arrangements, marital status, Community Integration Questionnaire, and use of rehabilitation services.
Results: Participants were most limited in activities such as managing money and shopping. Twenty-nine per cent of our participants were working full time. There were significant relationships between activity limitations and residual cognitive impairment at follow-up. Self-rated health was correlated with most instrumental activities of daily living.
Conclusion: Our findings document health and function in a large post acute TBI population and implications for rehabilitation are discussed.