An evaluation of health-related quality of life of patients aroused from prolonged coma when treated by physiotherapists with or without training in the ‘Academy of Life’ programme

Objective: To evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients aroused from prolonged coma after a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) treated by physiotherapists trained in the ‘Academy of Life’ programme. It was assumed that physiotherapists who acquired this knowledge and experience would create a better therapeutic milieu, and would be more effective than physiotherapists who had not received this training. Material and methods: 40 patients who had suffered a severe TBI in a motor vehicle accident and had been aroused from prolonged coma were examined. All the patients underwent long-term rehabilitation according to a standard, phased programme. They were divided into two numerically even groups: an experimental group, treated by therapists trained in the ‘Academy of Life’ programme, and a control group, treated by physiotherapists who were not trained in this programme. The research instruments included an analysis of documentation, a structured clinical interview, and the Quality of Life Scale. Results: As hypothesized, the experimental group showed significant improvement in HRQOL, whereas in the control group improvement was statistically non-significant. Conclusions: The patients from the experimental group, treated by physiotherapists trained in the ‘Academy of Life’, obtained a significantly greater improvement in physical and social functioning, and thus in HRQOL, than patients from the control group.