title: Patient safety considerations in the rehabilitation of the individual with cognitive impairment.
abstract: Deficits in cognitive functioning are associated with many safety concerns, including difficulties performing activities of daily living, medication errors, motor vehicle accidents, impaired awareness of deficits, decision-making capacity, falls, and travel away from home. Preventing adverse safety outcomes is particularly relevant in rehabilitation patients. Integration of information and recommendations stemming from allied disciplines, such as rehabilitation medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and neuropsychology, is the most effective way to limit poor outcomes. Education and prevention counseling by health care professionals is an important approach in limiting adverse safety outcomes in patients with cognitive impairment.
authors.affiliation: Traumatic Brain Injury and Coma Recovery Unit, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Kingsbrook Rehabilitation Institute, 585 Schenectady Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
authors.forename: Brad T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Tyson
authors.forename: Martha T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Pham
authors.forename: Natashia T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Mayer
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D001288:Attention; D001334:Automobile Driving; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003657:Decision Making; D056344:Executive Function; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D055118:Medication Adherence; D008568:Memory; D061214:Patient Safety; D013028:Space Perception; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D013405:Suicide; D055816:Wandering Behavior