Clinicians' views on learning in brain injury rehabilitation

Primary objective: To determine clinicians' views on learning ability in brain injury rehabilitation. Research design: Online survey. Methods and procedures: An online survey was sent to physicians, psychologists and therapists of three Dutch organizations for neuropsychology or rehabilitation. The survey enquired (1) whether clinicians take learning ability into account; (2) about factors influencing learning ability; and (3) about assessment tools used to assess learning ability. Main outcomes and results: Thirty-seven physicians, 83 psychologists and 43 therapists completed the online survey. In total, 93% of respondents reported that they take learning ability into account when making a prognosis. The most frequently mentioned factors influencing learning ability were cognition, awareness of deficits and motivation. Learning ability was mainly determined by means of cognitive and memory tests and observations during therapy. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a patient's learning ability may be influenced by not only cognition but also by motivation and awareness of deficits. Structured and standardized assessment of these factors may be suggested for standard use in clinical practice. More research is needed about the influence these factors have on the learning process.