Military Service Member Perspectives About Occupational Therapy Treatment in a Military Concussion Clinic

• Published in: OTJR (Thorofare, N.J.) Vol. 39; no. 4; p. 232
• Main Authors: Cogan, Alison M, Huang, Janice, Philip, Joyce
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.10.2019
• Subjects: Adult; Brain Concussion - rehabilitation; Female; Focus Groups; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Military Personnel - psychology; Occupational Therapy; Patient Satisfaction; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - rehabilitation; United States; United States; brain injury; veterans; qualitative research; client-centered practice; occupational therapy
• ISSN: 1938-2383
• DOI: 10.1177/1539449218813849

The purpose of this study is to describe important features of occupational therapy practice for treatment of military service members with chronic symptoms and a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in a military concussion care clinic from service members' perspectives with support from occupational therapy practitioners. Two series of focus groups were conducted with service members with chronic mTBI-related symptoms ( = 6) and practitioners ( = 5). Data were analyzed concurrently with collection. We identified five main themes: therapeutic relationship, consistent inclusion of family members, combat versus noncombat injuries, loss of military identity, and assessment against population norms. The findings of this study suggest that service members' evaluations of occupational therapy are based on the overall experience of the encounter, centered by the therapeutic relationship, rather than specific intervention strategies or technology.