None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
People with brain injuries often experience problems with prospective memory. Prospective memory is memory to complete future tasks, such as recalling to pick up milk on the way home, or remembering to keep an appointment. It is common for people with poor prospective memory to use a memory device. With improvements in technology increasing the use of Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) in the non-brain injured population, anecdotal evidence suggests that PDAs would allow people with brain injuries to recall important information. Despite their increasing popularity, no studies have determined the effectiveness of PDAs for promoting prospective memory recall after brain injury. Results of the study will provide clinicians with evidence to support or refute the use of PDAs for the management of memory impairment in adults with brain injury.
Interventions
Intervention group will receive occupational therapy training and use of a PDA for 8 weeks. Training will be individualised to each participant with respect to length and number of sessions however all participants will complete 8 PDA training modules. Modules cover content including:
During this 8 weeks, participants will receive training in use of paper diary and/or wall calendar, training to use task lists including prioritisation, and general time management education.
Sponsors
Belinda Armstrong, Royal Rehabilitation Centre Sydney
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
17 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
An acquired brain injury, who display functional memory failures.
Exclusion criteria
Physical disability which precludes participant from the use of the PDA or impaired learning capacity which precludes participant retraining.
Outcome results
None listed