Participant and service provider perceptions of an outpatient rehabilitation program for people with acquired brain injury

Background: A holistic, intensive and interdisciplinary rehabilitation program for people with acquired brain injury (ABI) was developed at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, France (5 days/week for 7 weeks). This program, recently demonstrated effective, aimed to optimize the ability of people with ABI to perform activities and improve their participation by using individual and group interventions involving ecologically valid activities inside (e.g., in the gym and kitchen) and outside the hospital. However, the perception of the quality of the program by participants and service providers has not yet been reported.

Objectives: This study had 3 objectives: (1) report the perception of participants (adults with ABI) in terms of service quality of the program, (2) report the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) of the program as perceived by service providers, and (3) triangulate findings to draw conclusions about the program's quality and provide recommendations for quality improvement.

Methods: We used a mixed-methods design with a validated questionnaire (Perception of Quality of Rehabilitation Services [PQRS-Montreal]) and interviews (structured around a SWOT analysis) involving program participants and service providers.

Results: We included 33 program participants (mean age 43.6 years) and 12 service providers (mean years with program 7.6 years). In general, study participants showed a convergence of opinion about the high quality of the program, particularly regarding the team and its participant-focused approach. Specific aspects of the program were viewed more negatively by both participants and service providers (i.e., addressing sexuality, family involvement and return to work/volunteer work/school).

Conclusion: Participant and service provider perceptions of the rehabilitation program under study were generally positive. A reliable and valid questionnaire and interviews helped identify aspects of the program that worked well and those that could be targeted for future quality improvement.