The Organization of Rehabilitation Care in Dutch Rehabilitation Centers for Young Patients with Acquired Brain Injury

Purpose: To describe how rehabilitation care is organized for young patients (4-25 years) with acquired brain injury (ABI) in Dutch outpatient rehabilitation centers (RCs). Due to differences between RCs in terms of history/culture, team composition/expertise, and collaborative networks, variations in de provision and content of care between RCs are expected. Methods: In this cross-sectional-survey-study, professionals from RCs were invited to complete a 21-item-questionnaire (12 yes/no-& 9 corresponding open-ended-questions) on the organization of rehabilitation care for young patients with ABI. Three topics were: admission/discharge criteria (n=2&2), rehabilitation treatment (n=7&5), and aftercare (n=3&2). Answers to yes/no-questions were descriptively analyzed, and open-ended-questions were thematically categorized. Items being present or absent and thematically analyzed answers were noted as numbers/percentages per RC. Results: Twelve RCs participated. Regarding admission/discharge criteria, only the item “having an ABI diagnosis” was present in all RCs (100%), whereas the other five admission criteria were present in 25-42% of RCs. Discharge criterium "attainment of goals" was present in 83% of RCs. Regarding rehabilitation treatment, all RCs (100%) described the presence of “specialized teams” and “diagnosis-specific consultation appointments”. Sixty-seven percent of RCs have “general ABI-treatment protocols” and “young adult transition-teams”. Concerning aftercare, structural end-reports, standard appointments at discharge and follow-up with physicians were present in all RCs (100%), but discharge and follow-up timing (between 6 weeks-12 months) and frequency (e.g., once a year) all differed. Conclusions: Despite similarities across Dutch RCs, there were differences in the provision and content of rehabilitation care regarding admission/discharge criteria, organization of rehabilitation treatment, and aftercare. Gaining insight into differences may help to reach consensus regarding ‘best practice’ on the organization of rehabilitation care for young patients with ABI.