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A-125 An Analysis of the Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes and Needs of People in Urban, Rural and Remote Areas


 
 
 Little is known about the traumatic brain injury (TBI) outcomes for people returning to urban versus rural communities. These communities typically differ in terms of the availability of formal and informal supports. We compared patient-reported TBI outcomes for three communities (urban, rural, and remote) and modelled their predictors.
 
 
 
 Six hundred and sixty-two cases with mild-to-severe TBI were identified from hospital records. These individuals received a mail-out survey comprised of standardized outcome measures. The measures assessed: symptoms, quality-of-life, service obstacles, unmet needs, mental health, and community integration. Ninety-one people who were less than two years post-injury returned a usable survey (18% response rate). The location of communities was coded using the Accessibility Remoteness Index of Australia (urban n = 22, rural n = 43, remote n = 26).
 
 
 
 There were no differences in the outcomes due to location (p’s > .05). The significant individual predictors of five of the six outcomes were the participant’s sex, age, and the injury severity; but location did not play a role. TBI outcomes were typically worse if the injury was severe, or if the injured person was older or female. For one outcome (community integration) males fared worse than females.
 
 
 
 Contrary to expectations, location did not affect patient-reported TBI outcomes. This could indicate that the same supports are available to patients, despite their location or; that the different supports were relied on to achieve the same outcomes. The overall findings urge continued investment in TBI rehabilitation, particularly for the subgroups that experienced the worst outcomes.
