Abstract for presentation at 6th World Congress on Brain Injury

Empirical Evidence for Rehabilitation Therapies Targeting the Psychological Consequences of Acquired Brain Impairment: A Survey of Reports Indexed on PsycBITETM

  • A/Prof Robyn Tate, Rehabilitation Studies Unit, Northern Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney & Royal Rehabilitation Centre, Australia
  • Dr Leanne Togher, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia
  • Dr Michael Perdices, Department of Neurology, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia
  • A/Prof Skye McDonald, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
  • Dr Anne Moseley, Rehabilitation Studies Unit, Northern Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney & Royal Rehabilitation Centre, Australia
  • Ms Kiri Winders, Rehabilitation Studies Unit, Northern Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney & Royal Rehabilitation Centre, Australia
  • Ms Regina Schultz, Rehabilitation Studies Unit, Northern Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney & Royal Rehabilitation Centre, Australia
  • Ms Kate Smith, Rehabilitation Studies Unit, Northern Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney & Royal Rehabilitation Centre, Australia

    • Background: A newly-developed resource to support evidence-based practice for non-pharmacological treatments for the psychological consequences of acquired brain impairment is now available. The database, PsycBITE (Psychological Database for Brain Impairment Treatment Efficacy), is modelled on the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), and was launched on the internet in July 2004 (psycbite.com). PsycBITE indexes all published reports from a range of medical and allied health disciplines that provide empirical data on the effectiveness of one or more interventions.
    Method: Seven existing generic databases (eg, Medline) are searched using sensitive search strategies. Reports are individually examined to identify those meeting 5 selection criteria. Eligible reports are then indexed using 73 terms in 5 domains (problem area, intervention type, neurological group, age group and research design). Reports are also rated for methodological quality using the PEDro and PsycBITE scales.
    Results: Searches of existing databases to July 2004 yielded just over 150,000 references, of which some 50,000 have been subject to the identification process to date. Eight hundred of these reports are confirmed as meeting the selection criteria and are indexed. Eight percent were systematic reviews, 23% randomised controlled trials (RCTs), 9% non-RCTs, 22% case series and 37% single case experimental designs. The highest proportion of trials (39%) involved the stroke population. The most frequently occurring problem areas were communication (22%), followed by behaviour problems (18%) and memory (17%). The most frequently occurring interventions addressed communication skills (21%), memory strategies (16%) and behaviour management (12%).
    Conclusions: Reports on PsycBITE spanned the range of indexed terms, thereby providing a comprehensive resource of treatments pertinent to the psychological consequences of acquired brain impairment.

    Conference Organiser - ICMS Pty Ltd