ABI-RESTaRT

Why did we do this research? 

Approximately 500,000 people have an acquired brain injury (ABI) in Australia, more than 2% of the population. ABI is defined as any damage to the brain that occurs after birth. This may result from a traumatic incident such as a fall, motor vehicle accident, or sports collision, or from a non-traumatic event such as a stroke, infection, or substance abuse. People with an ABI often have complex needs that are not fully addressed or clearly understood by disability services, health professionals, and policy makers. 

This research aimed to improve our understanding of the complexity of ABI in people using Brightwater’s neurorehabilitation services. 

What did we do? 

We looked at data for people who had used Brightwater’s neurorehabilitation services between 1991 (when the service first began) and 2020 and linked their records with other health data to better understand their care, needs and outcomes.  

We used this to: 

• Identify the demographic and clinical characteristics of people with an ABI who used Brightwater services from 1991 to 2020. 
• Explore what happened to clients who were admitted to Brightwater neurorehabilitation services, including how their functional independence and quality of life changed during admission, and their use of health services, overall health, and survival following discharge.