This is what SLTs can do for mild TBI: presenting a care model
Reviewed by Anna Volkmer

The authors of this article estimate there are around six-to-eight million people who sustain a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) per annum in the United States (US) as a consequence of sports injuries, traffic accidents, military service-related injuries, falls, assaults and workplace injuries. The Marcus Institute for Brain Health (MIBH) is a centre in Colorado that provides inpatient rehabilitation for people with mTBI. This article provides an overview of the model of care used within the centre, and the role of the speech and language therapist (SLT). The MIBH centre emphasises an integrated care model, whereby professionals work together with a person with a mTBI, toward common rehabilitation goals. This integrated model of care starts at the assessment stage whereby team members co-ordinate assessment efforts such that the SLT focuses on auditory processing, word finding, social communication and executive functioning. After goal setting, the person with a mTBI attends individual and group intervention sessions with the SLT. These focus on identifying barriers and options for changes, often using motivational interviewing. People work toward independence in areas relevant to their personal situations and carry this over into activities outside the centre, in public environments. This article summarises a well-used model of person-centred and interdisciplinary care used across rehabilitation centres in the UK and demonstrates it is relevant to people with mild, moderate and severe TBI.

The Role of Speech-Language Pathology in an Interdisciplinary Care Model for Persistent Symptomatology of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
Hardin KY, Kelly JP.
SEMINARS IN SPEECH AND LANGUAGE
2019;40:65-78.