Integration through a city-wide brain injury network and best practices project

Abstract

Integration of systems of service for individuals who have sustained a brain injury (BI) is critical to their successful recovery and reintegration into the community [6,7,33]. The Toronto Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Network, an umbrella organization of 17 partners in the city of Toronto, Canada, is attempting to create a cost-effective, seamless, efficient, and effective integrated system of service. The ABI Network includes organizations and agencies along the full continuum, from acute care inpatient to long term care reintegration and is ultimately focused on helping clients achieve their goals. Through a variety of projects and activities, progress is being made. A significant initiative, currently underway, is the development of Network-wide best practices, related to assessment and outcomes, rooted in empirical evidence and current research. The project also integrates the perspectives of clients and families. The hope is that this initiative will result in enhanced consistency across programs, ensuring universal access to treatment and interventions following brain injury from the time of an individual's injury through integration into the community.