WASABI

Why are we doing this research?

Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a leading cause of disability and death in Australia and people with an ABI are a growing population in Western Australia. ABI is defined as any damage to the brain that occurs after birth. The consequences of an ABI are complex and difficult to predict and often lead to a range of cognitive, physical and psychosocial impairments. People with an ABI often have complex needs that are not fully addressed or clearly understood by disability services, health professionals and policy makers.

Although research on people with an ABI in rehabilitation services is growing, there’s no recent comprehensive study of this population across Western Australia. To guide services and improve support and outcomes for people with an ABI in Western Australia, we need a clearer understanding of the characteristics, support needs and health service use of this population.

What will we do?

This project will analyse data from public health services across Western Australia, along with records from Brightwater brain injury rehabilitation services to better understand the Western Australian ABI population.

The study will:

• Examine patterns of health service use and outcomes for people with ABI in Western Australia from 1990 to 2024.
• Identify factors associated with these patterns, such as age, geographic location and type of injury.
• Summarise mental health conditions that occur before and after an ABI.
• Explore mental health conditions among this population and provide insight into the factors that may contribute to them.

The analysis will include all individuals with ABI in Western Australia and will compare outcomes and service us between those who have used Brightwater's rehabilitation services and those who have not.