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Objective: To explore factors associated with stability and change in fatigue from 6 to 12 months following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Setting: Combined in- and outpatient acute care and postacute rehabilitation settings. Participants: A total of 103 patients with confirmed intracranial injury were assessed 6 and/or 12 months following TBI. Design: A prospective observational study with repeated measures at 2 time points, analyzed with a hybrid mixed-effects model. Main Measures: Primary outcomes were the fatigue factor derived from items from several fatigue patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs; Fatigue Severity Scale, Chalder Fatigue Scale, Giessen Subjective Complaints List–fatigue subscale, and Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire–fatigue item) Secondary outcomes were PROMs relating to pain, somatic and psychological distress, insomnia, sleepiness, personality traits, optimism, resilience, behavioral activation and inhibition, and loneliness, as well as neuropsychological measures. Demographic variables and injury severity characteristics were included as covariates. Results: In multilevel regression, female sex, years of education, and 3 factors related to injury severity, somatic vulnerability, and psychosocial robustness were all significantly associated with variation in fatigue between subjects, and explained 61% of the variance in fatigue that was due to stable between-subject differences. Fatigue levels declined significantly over time. Changes in pain severity, somatic symptom burden, psychological distress, and behavioral inhibition were positively associated with changes in fatigue, explaining 22% of the variance in fatigue within subjects. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that several previously implicated factors show robust effects in distinguishing individuals with TBI on levels of fatigue, but only a few show additional within-subject associations across time. Pain severity, somatic symptom burden, psychological distress, and behavioral inhibition correlated with fatigue across time, implicating these factors as crucial targets for rehabilitation of patients with TBI who suffer from persistent fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To describe the discharge process for patients with traumatic brain injury from a trauma hospital, and patient experience and satisfaction with care transition. Furthermore, to evaluate associations between discharge process and patient satisfaction and quality of care transition., Design: Prospective-retrospective observational study., Subjects/patients: Seventy-four patients admitted to ward or intensive care unit at a trauma referral hospital within 24 h of traumatic brain injury., Methods: Baseline characteristics and discharge process variables were extracted from medical records. Patients were interviewed 6-months post-injury about their experience and satisfaction with care transition, using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Care Transition Measurement (CTM-3®) as outcome measures. Regression analyses were performed to investigate associations between discharge process and outcome., Results: One-third of patients were not involved in the discharge process, and information in discharge summaries was often inadequate. Patients' involvement in care transition and co-ordination of care were significantly associated with overall satisfaction (VAS, p = 0.002 and p = 0.001, respectively) and quality of care transition (CTM-3®, p = 0.003 and p = 0.007, respectively). Patients with more severe injuries reported lower satisfaction and quality of care transition., Conclusion: Patient's involvement in healthcare decision-making and co-ordination of care is important for self-reported satisfaction with transition and quality of care transition.