Knowledge of traumatic brain injury in informal and professional carers

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a complex injury that often results in impairments in functioning that may be temporary, long-term, or permanent. Consequently, at least two-thirds of individuals who suffer TBI require support and assistance from carers to complete everyday tasks for at least some period after the injury. Despite the significant burden and ramifications associated with TBI, misconceptions and a general lack of knowledge about TBI is widespread among people with TBI, their family members and friends, and the broader community. The aim of the current study was to investigate the knowledge of TBI held by individuals involved in providing care for people with TBI. Six hundred and twenty-one individuals with TBI caring experience (informal carers n = 113, paid disability/support workers n = 77, paid health professionals n = 431), aged 18-81, completed a self-report measure, the Common Misconceptions of Traumatic Brain Injury (CM-TBI; Gouvier, Prestholdt, & Warner, 1988), to assess their knowledge of TBI across several domains. In line with predictions, health professionals demonstrated significantly more knowledge of unconsciousness and amnesia compared to informal carers and disability/support workers, however, this effect was not found for brain damage. Contrary to predictions, this study did not show informal carers and disability/support workers to have significantly more knowledge of brain injury sequalae, recovery, and rehabilitation, as compared to health professionals. The clinical and practical implications of these findings are considered and potential directions for future research are discussed.