Social work-generated evidence in traumatic brain injury from 1975 to 2014: A systematic scoping review

Abstract

The International Network for Social Workers in Acquired Brain Injury (INSWABI) commissioned a systematic scoping review to ascertain the social work-generated evidence base on people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) of working age. The review aimed to identify the output, impact and quality of publications authored by social workers on this topic. Study quality was evaluated through assessment frameworks drawn from the United Kingdom National Service Framework for Long-Term Conditions. In the 40-year period from 1975 to 2014, 115 items were published that met the search criteria (intervention studies, n = 10; observational studies, n = 52; literature reviews, n = 6; expert opinion or policy analysis, n = 39; and others, n = 8). The publications could be grouped into five major fields of practice: families, social inclusion, military, inequalities and psychological adjustment. There was a significant increase in the number of publications over each decade. Impact was demonstrated in that the great majority of publications had been cited at least once (80.6%, 103/115). Articles published in rehabilitation journals were cited significantly more often than articles published in social work journals.A significant improvement in publication quality was observed across the four decades, with the majority of studies in the last decade rated as high quality. K E Y W O R D Sevidence-based practice, knowledge production, scoping review, social work, traumatic brain injury

Effectiveness of remote interventions in improving caregiver stress outcomes for caregivers of people with traumatic brain injury.

“…The impact of a TBI can result in a domino effect of changes not just for the patient, but for their family members as well (Mantell et al, 2018). The associated deficits in day-to-day functioning can also lead to a breakdown of the family system as roles begin to shift to accommodate to the patient’s condition (Carlozzi, 2015).…”

Operationalising the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) in support of brain injury survivors – views from practice

“…Taken together, the findings highlight the complexity of DoLS and the practical difficulties of making reliable judgements of capacity for people with brain injuries. Whilst referring to social work practice with people with ABI but possibly more widely applicable, Mantell et al (2018) suggested the difficulty of using structured assessments to apply abstract criteria to determine real world decisionmaking. Arising from this is the possibility of inherent variability in capacity assessment because the very concept of capacity is a somewhat imprecise notion rather than a fixed entity.…”

The Experiences of Relatives of People with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) of the Condition and Associated Social and Health Care Services

“…A lack of knowledge of ABI, especially that of the invisible impact of the condition, was noted to be a significant issue, as found in previous research (George and Gilbert, 2018). Social work practice in particular is criticised by the survey respondents, and ABI is not noted to feature highly in research by the academic branch of the profession (Mantell et al, 2017). Criticisms of practice and the harm caused by a lack of knowledge of the impact of ABI upon functioning are longstanding and would seem to remain unaddressed (Acquired Brain Injury and Mental Capacity Act Interest Group, 2014;Flynn, 2016;House of Lords, 2014;Morgan, 2017;Norman, 2016;Summerfield, 2011).…”