PTE Journal Club: February

 During our February Journal Club meeting, we reviewed the article "Effectiveness of Interventions to Address Cognitive Impairments and Improve Occupational Performance After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review". I really enjoyed reviewing this article because I knew some information about occupational performance after a TBI from our EBP classes in the past. The study looked to determine the effectiveness of interventions addressing cognitive impairments to improve occupational performance for people with traumatic brain injuries. They looked at adults who had sustained a traumatic brain injury only. It was a systematic review that consisted of a total of 37 studies that met all the inclusion criteria. There were 9 Level I systematic reviews, 14 Level I studies, 5 Level II studies, and 9 Level II studies. They searched all the databases and related studies that were similar to group them into themes. The independent variable observed in this study was the type of cognitive intervention (specifically interventions to address problem with memory). The dependent variable in the study was occupational performance of the people with TBIs. There was strong evidence that supports use of direct attention training, dual-task training, and strategy training to optimize executive functioning, encoding, and use of memory compensations, including assistive technology. However, in most studies, occupational performance was a secondary outcome, if it was evaluated at all. We concluded that the study was valid and reliable because it is a Level I review with a good amount of RCT. It also used multiple researchers. One major limitation of the study was that all forms of bias could not be eliminated. More studies are needed where occupational performance is the outcomes. Expansions of options for measuring occupational performance beyond self-reports. Development of a wider range of reliable and valid performance-based cognitive outcome measures. The frames of references that applied to this study would include Cognitive Behavioral Frame of Reference, Rehabilitative Frame of Reference, Allen's Cognitive Levels, and Toglia's Dynamic Interactional Approach. The implications for our practice would be the cognitive intervention combined with client-centered, occupational-oriented approach have the potential to minimize limitations experience by individuals with TBI. I am enjoying having in-depth discussion with my classmates to further my clinical vocabulary and knowledge.