title: 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.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  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.
authors.affiliation: College of Physiotherapy, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Wiesław
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tomaszewski
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mańko
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ziółkowski
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pąchalska
mesh_terms: D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003128:Coma / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D026761:Physical Therapy Specialty / Q000379:methods*; D011044:Poland; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome