COMMON OBSTACLES TO THE DAILY FUNCTIONING OF PEDIATRIC TRAUMATICALLY BRAIN-INJURED PATIENTS - PERCEPTIONS OF CAREGIVERS AND PSYCHOLOGISTS

Common difficulties encountered by patients with pediatric traumatic b rain injuries (referred to hereafter as pediatric TBI patients) were i dentified, and the congruence between caregiver and professional perce ptions of these problems was examined. Forty-seven caregivers identifi ed 118 obstacles experienced in the care of their pediatric TBI patien ts. Another sample of 46 caregivers cross-validated these problems by rating each for its frequency and difficulty. Items were rank ordered by their composite score, a derived measure obtained for each item by cross-multiplying the frequency and difficulty ratings. Twenty psychol ogists who work with pediatric TBI patients also rated each of the 118 problem situations. A modest correlation (tau = .28, p < .001) betwee n the two groups' rank orders of the problem situations, although sign ificant, suggests that there are discrepancies between caregiver and p rofessional perceptions of problem situations. Items perceived as most common and difficult by caregivers often received far lower ratings b y psychologists and vice versa. The results suggest that carefully eva luating individual patient concerns may contribute to more efficient u se of professional resources and improved patient education and follow -up care.