Using talking lights to assist brain-injured patients with daily inpatient therapeutic schedule.
OBJECTIVE
To test the ability of patients with brain injury to use a patient locator and minder (PLAM) system to assist in their adherence to therapy schedules.


METHODS
Five patients with acquired brain injury who were inpatients on an acute rehabilitation floor of a rehabilitation hospital.


METHODS
The number of human prompts necessary to direct a patient to, and ensure arrival at, a scheduled therapy destination and the proportion of therapy sessions requiring no prompting was measured both before and after the introduction of the PLAM system.


RESULTS
With the PLAM system, the average number of human prompts dropped by more than 50%, and the number of sessions requiring no prompting increased from 7% to 44%.


CONCLUSIONS
The PLAM system described in this article seems feasible and useful for patients with acquired brain injury in assisting them with arrival at their therapy destinations without the assistance of staff.
Burke
D T
DT
Harvard Medical School Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
Leeb
S B
SB
Hinman
R T
RT
Lupton
E C
EC
Burke
J
J
Schneider
J C
JC
Ahangar
B
B
Simpson
K
K
Kanoalani Mayer
E A
EA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003463:Cues; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005453:Fluorescence; D006757:Hospital Units; D006801:Humans; D008029:Lighting; D008838:Microcomputers; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers; D017010:Reminder Systems / Q000592:standards*