Existing evidence of self-management interventions in acquired brain injuries and traumatic injuries: a scoping review.

Abstract

Patients with acquired brain injuries (ABI) and severe traumatic injuries face many persisting and overlapping injury-related consequences. Despite a growing number of self-management (SM) interventions targeting these conditions, no comprehensive reviews exist. This scoping review aims to map the existing SM interventions across these injury populations. Five databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, PubMed) were systematically searched. Studies were included if they adhered to the operational definition by Jonkman et al. and targeted adults with ABI and traumatic injuries. A total of 43 studies were included. Most interventions targeted stroke and spinal cord injuries. The key ingredients were psychoeducation, goal setting, and training in self-management skills. Most interventions were conducted in hospitals by healthcare personnel in the chronic post-injury phase. A considerable variation of reported effects was observed. Additionally, Bandura's social cognitive theory was frequently applied as a theoretical background. A significant lack of SM interventions for multiple/major trauma and burns was identified. Many studies were poorly described and did not indicate how the interventions were tailored to the patients, and the effects were inconsistent. However, the findings suggest that SM ingredients are applicable to both ABI and traumatic injury populations in clinical settings.