A National Academies press release details the findings of a new report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD) about the potential value of cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CRT).

The report concluded that research has yielded promising data on the effectiveness of some forms of CRT for helping patients with TBI, however the evidence is limited and requires improvements in the collection and standardization of terms in order to develop more concrete findings.  Because CRT is an umbrella term for a range of approaches to overcoming or compensating for cognitive impairments, it can be difficult to describe these personalized therapies and their outcomes.

However, given that methodological shortcomings in the evidence do not rule out meaningful benefits for patients, the committee that wrote the report supported the ongoing use of CRT for people suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) while improvements are made in future studies.

For more information, visit the Institute of Medicine or the National Academies online.

To read more about CRT visit health.mil's Special Feature on Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy.