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Traumatic Brain Injury

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Handbook of Vocational Rehabilitation and Disability Evaluation

Part of the book series: Handbooks in Health, Work, and Disability ((SHHDW))

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of disability in previously healthy young adults. As a consequence, the resumption of work roles can be a difficult and protracted process, particularly for those people with neurocognitive impairments, which may compromise work performance. The introductory sections of this chapter provide an overview of the epidemiology, neuropathology and clinical profiles of TBI, with particular reference to common neuropsychological impairments and their functional consequences. Brief review is made of outcome studies of return to work after TBI and evidence for the effectiveness of a range of vocational rehabilitation programmes, including case management, supported employment and centre-based programmes. The final section of the chapter is devoted to a detailed description of the state of the field of vocational rehabilitation in TBI. The assessment process is described (including the seven-step process of Stergiou-Kita et al. 2011): work preparation, work placement (from the perspective of both the pre-injury and the post-injury employer) and post-placement support. The chapter concludes with a brief section on alternatives to mainstream, competitive employment for those people whose impairments preclude them from returning to work.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    It is noted that the ICF 3rd level categories for memory do not refer to these functional systems of memory; rather the focus is on the storage/retrieval processes (e.g. short-term/long-term memory).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, Sydney Medical School – Northern, Level 9, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, Royal North Shore Hospital, St. Leonards, NSW, 2065, Australia

    Robyn L. Tate & Grahame K. Simpson

  2. Liverpool Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, Australia

    Grahame K. Simpson & Philippa McRae

  3. Brain Injury Rehabilitation Research Group, Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Sydney, Australia

    Grahame K. Simpson & Philippa McRae

Authors
  1. Robyn L. Tate
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  2. Grahame K. Simpson
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  3. Philippa McRae
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Correspondence to Robyn L. Tate .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA

    Reuben Escorpizo

  2. Research Unit, Directorate for Labour and Welfare, Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Sören Brage

  3. Department of Rehabilitation and Counsel, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, Wisconsin, USA

    Debra Homa

  4. Department of Health Sciences and Health Policy, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Luzern, Switzerland

    Gerold Stucki

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Tate, R.L., Simpson, G.K., McRae, P. (2015). Traumatic Brain Injury. In: Escorpizo, R., Brage, S., Homa, D., Stucki, G. (eds) Handbook of Vocational Rehabilitation and Disability Evaluation. Handbooks in Health, Work, and Disability. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08825-9_12

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