Improving memory after acquired brain injury

Associate Professor Lannin and colleagues conducted an assessor-blinded RCT to determine the effectiveness of personal digital assistant devices on achievement of memory and organisation goals in 42 patients with poor memory after acquired brain injury.

Use of a personal digital assistant led to greater achievement of functional memory goals and improvement on the ‘General Frequency of Forgetting’ subscale, providing evidence that OT training in the use of a handheld computer could improve patients’ daily memory function over standard rehabilitation.

Lannin N, Carr B, Allaous J, Mackenzie B, Falcon A, Tate R. A randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of handheld computers for improving everyday memory functioning in patients with memory impairments after acquired brain injury. Clin Rehabil 2014;28(5):470-481.