Functional independence in individuals with acquired brain injuries submitted to rehabilitation on an outpatient basis

The acquired brain injury (ABI) may induce a wide variety of impairments and the result of rehabilitation on an outpatient basis is questioned when performed long after its onset. The objective of this study was to evaluate the functional gain of ABI patients submitted to rehabilitation on an outpatient basis. Hospital discharge forms of 118 patients treated at the Division of Rehabilitation Medicine between 1999 and 2001 were reviewed. Functioning is systematically registered by the Functional Independence Measure (FIMTM) at the first evaluation, medical appointments and upon discharge. Mean values of each FIMTM item at the first and last evaluations were compared. The median period from the onset of the impairment was 9 months. There was an increase in the proportion of independent individuals in all FIMTM items at the end of treatment, as well as a significant increase in their mean values. These results differ from those reported by centers in countries where rehabilitation is performed in the early phase after the onset of impairments. This may result from rehabilitation approaches that focus on the physical impairment, without taking the importance of functional independence into account. We conclude that in our country, patients with ABI may present functional gain even if rehabilitation is carried out at later periods.