Caregiver Outcomes from the BRITE Study: Secondary Outcomes of a Multisite Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial of Post-Rehabilitation Discharge Transitional Support after Traumatic Brain Injury
6 affiliations
- 1Jefferson Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
- 2Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, Edison, New Jersey, USA.
- 3Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.
- 4Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA.
- 5Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
- 6Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center and School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Abstract
Caregivers of individuals admitted to inpatient rehabilitation following traumatic brain injury (TBI) often experience high burden and unmet needs after hospital discharge. Transitional periods are challenging, and standard discharge planning with referrals to outpatient care is typically not enough support for this critical phase. We sought to evaluate the impact of a post-inpatient rehabilitation patient/caregiver intervention (rehabilitation transition planning; RTP) on caregiver burden and quality of life, compared to standard rehabilitation discharge planning (RDP). Of 925 randomized patient participants at six inpatient rehabilitation centers, 591 had caregivers who enrolled in the study. Patients and caregivers in the RTP group (N = 295) received up to 12 remote follow-up support contacts for 6 months post-discharge. The RDP control group (n = 296) received standard discharge planning. Caregiver outcomes (Bakas, Zarit, PROMIS, SF-12 Physical/Mental) were assessed at 6 and 12 months. Data analysis used intention-to-treat principles. No significant differences were observed in any caregiver outcome measures at 6 or 12 months between RTP and RDP groups. In exploratory analyses, greater functional impairment, need for assistance, and a history of prior mental health problems on the part of the patient were associated with greater burden and reduced quality of life for caregivers irrespective of treatment assignment. Female caregivers, White caregivers, and those with greater education tended to show greater burden on some measures. No patient or caregiver attributes were consistently associated with a differential response to the intervention. Future research should explore alternative or more targeted interventions for this vulnerable population using both intervention-sensitive and global measures of outcome.
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BibTeX
@article{whyte2026caregiver,
title = {{Caregiver Outcomes from the BRITE Study: Secondary Outcomes of a Multisite Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial of Post-Rehabilitation Discharge Transitional Support after Traumatic Brain Injury}},
author = {John Whyte and Stacey Jou and Tessa Hart and Marcia A. Ciol and Jesse R. Fann and Flora Hammond and Megan Moore and Jeanne M. Hoffman},
journal = {Journal of neurotrauma},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1177/08977151261495028},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/08977151261495028},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Caregiver Outcomes from the BRITE Study: Secondary Outcomes of a Multisite Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial of Post-Rehabilitation Discharge Transitional Support after Traumatic Brain Injury
AU - John Whyte
AU - Stacey Jou
AU - Tessa Hart
AU - Marcia A. Ciol
AU - Jesse R. Fann
AU - Flora Hammond
AU - Megan Moore
AU - Jeanne M. Hoffman
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Journal of neurotrauma
DO - 10.1177/08977151261495028
UR - https://doi.org/10.1177/08977151261495028
AB - Caregivers of individuals admitted to inpatient rehabilitation following traumatic brain injury (TBI) often experience high burden and unmet needs after hospital discharge. Transitional periods are challenging, and standard discharge planning with referrals to outpatient care is typically not enough support for this critical phase. We sought to evaluate the impact of a post-inpatient rehabilitation patient/caregiver intervention (rehabilitation transition planning; RTP) on caregiver burden and quality of life, compared to standard rehabilitation discharge planning (RDP). Of 925 randomized patient participants at six inpatient rehabilitation centers, 591 had caregivers who enrolled in the study. Patients and caregivers in the RTP group (N = 295) received up to 12 remote follow-up support contacts for 6 months post-discharge. The RDP control group (n = 296) received standard discharge planning. Caregiver outcomes (Bakas, Zarit, PROMIS, SF-12 Physical/Mental) were assessed at 6 and 12 months. Data analysis used intention-to-treat principles. No significant differences were observed in any caregiver outcome measures at 6 or 12 months between RTP and RDP groups. In exploratory analyses, greater functional impairment, need for assistance, and a history of prior mental health problems on the part of the patient were associated with greater burden and reduced quality of life for caregivers irrespective of treatment assignment. Female caregivers, White caregivers, and those with greater education tended to show greater burden on some measures. No patient or caregiver attributes were consistently associated with a differential response to the intervention. Future research should explore alternative or more targeted interventions for this vulnerable population using both intervention-sensitive and global measures of outcome.
SN - 0897-7151
SN - 1557-9042
ER -