This qualitative study aimed to identify the service and support needs of people with a recent history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) living in the community.

A postal survey was sent to 662 people 6–18 months after hospital admission for a mild-to-severe TBI. The survey included an open-ended item (‘wish-basket’) for collecting ideas about important unmet needs.

Responses from 53 individuals were coded and processed using thematic analysis. Five themes (n = 39) were identified, three of which were related to personal needs. These personal wishes were about being symptom-free, independent and emotionally supported by, and connected to, loved ones. The remaining themes were about the wished-for changes to the health system and society, such as wishing for health care continuity (as opposed to being abandoned), and for greater understanding and support by society.

There is scope to improve the services and support for people living with TBI in the community. This includes reconsidering the way that discharge occurs, addressing the personal needs that remain when living in the community and promoting greater social awareness of TBI to counteract disadvantage.

这项定性研究旨在确定社区中有近期外伤性脑损伤 (TBI) 病史的人们的服务和支持需求。

在入院 6-18 个月后，对 662 名轻度至重度 TBI 患者进行了邮寄调查。该调查包括一个开放式项目（“愿望篮”），用于收集有关未满足的重要需求的想法。

使用主题分析对 53 个人的回答进行编码和处理。确定了五个主题（n = 39），其中三个与个人需求有关。这些个人愿望是关于无症状、独立和得到所爱之人的情感支持和联系。其余主题是关于希望对卫生系统和社会进行的改变，例如希望医疗保健的连续性（而不是被放弃），以及希望得到社会更多的理解和支持。

社区中为 TBI 患者提供的服务和支持仍有改善空间。这包括重新考虑出院的方式，解决在社区生活时仍然存在的个人需求，并提高社会对 TBI 的认识以抵消劣势。