Feedback interventions for improving self-awareness after brain injury: A protocol for a pragmatic randomised controlled trial

Background: Occupational therapists working in brain injury rehabilitation use functional tasks as a means of providing feedback to improve self-awareness of people who have a brain injury and ultimately improve their occupational performance. Purpose: To compare the effectiveness of video, verbal and experiential feedback for improving self-awareness in people with traumatic brain injury. Methods: A randomised controlled trial will be conducted to compare the efficacy of video and verbal feedback during occupational therapy. Fifty-four participants with traumatic brain injury will be randomly allocated into three intervention groups: (i) video plus verbal feedback, (ii) verbal feedback and (iii) experiential feedback (control condition). Participants will receive the allocated intervention based on performance of a meal preparation task. The intervention sessions will occur four times during a two-week period. Blinded assessment will occur at baseline, post-intervention, and two months follow up. The primary outcome will be a measure of on-line self-awareness (number of self-corrected and therapist corrected errors). Secondary outcomes to be assessed include levels of intellectual self-awareness, emotional distress, and acceptance of disability. Data will be analysed using an intention to treat approach. Linear mixed effects models will be used to investigate the intervention effects. Findings and Implications: Results will contribute to evidence-based guidelines to support therapists to choose the most effective form of feedback for people with decreased self-awareness after traumatic brain injury. © 2012 The Authors Australian Occupational Therapy Journa