“Engagement of family members of brain damaged patients in rehabilitation complements therapeutic interventions. Discrepancies between the rehabilitation team and the family’s understanding about functional outcomes complicate discharge planning. Our study found that family member expectations of patient recovery were significantly more optimistic than physician predictions. This highlights the importance of thoroughly educating family members to set more realistic expectations, thereby potentially improving caregiver, patient, and rehabilitation professional interactions," said first author Ny-Ying Lam, MD, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
The RIC research next plans to analyze family characteristics associated with expectations of recovery and whether expectations change at discharge or at 6-month follow-up.