Introduction

The evaluation of functional outcome of individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) after discharge has become an integral part of rehabilitation programmes. It is the best way to corroborate the effectiveness of the treatment and to justify charges for rehabilitation services (Cope & O'Lear, 1993; Hall et al., 1994). The quality of a rehabilitation centre is related to the objectively measured outcome obtained upon conclusion of the patient's rehabilitation period.

Outcome is influenced by different factors and is not obtained by measuring any single concept. Acute factors determining the process of acute and post-acute rehabilitation are: the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score on hospital admission, length of coma (LOC), duration of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA), family support, and social status.

In this entry we review the most important ...