title: Rehabilitation challenges for Aboriginal clients recovering from brain injury: a qualitative study engaging health care practitioners.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the experiences of health care practitioners working with Aboriginal clients recovering from acquired brain injury (ABI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participatory research design using qualitative methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted. The Framework Method of analysis was used to uncover emerging themes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five main categories emerged: practitioners' experience with brain injury, practitioners' experience with Aboriginal clients, specialized needs of Aboriginal clients recovering from brain injury, culturally sensitive care and traditional healing methods. These categories were then further divided into emergent themes and sub-themes where applicable, with particular emphasis on the specialized needs of Aboriginal clients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Each emergent theme highlighted key challenges experienced by Aboriginal peoples recovering from ABI. A key challenge was that protocols for rehabilitation and discharge planning are often lacking for clients living on reserves or in remote communities. Other challenges included lack of social support; difficulty of travel and socio-cultural factors associated with post-acute care; and concurrent disorders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest that developing reasonable protocols for discharge planning of Aboriginal clients living on reserves and/or remote communities should be considered a priority.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. michelle.keightley@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: Michelle L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Keightley
authors.forename: Ruwan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ratnayake
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Minore
authors.forename: Mae
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katt
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: Randy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bellavance
authors.forename: Claudine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Longboat-White
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colantonio
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel / Q000208:ethnology*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005260:Female; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D036301:Qualitative Research; D055815:Young Adult