Survey of cognitive rehabilitation practices in the state of Kuwait

<p>Fahad Manee</p>

Survey of cognitive rehabilitation practices in the state of Kuwait

Fahad Manee

Kuwait University, Kuwait

: Int J Ment Health Psychiatry

Abstract

Statement of the Problem: Rehabilitation professionals must be astute at recognizing, assessing, and treating individuals with cognitive deficits. No research is available to examine cognitive rehabilitation practices applied to individuals with neurological conditions in Kuwait. The purpose of this study is to identify the use of cognitive assessments, the availability of resources, and the barriers to cognitive rehabilitation practices in Kuwait. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with health care professionals working with adult individuals with neurological conditions. These professionals included occupational therapists, speechlanguage pathologists, psychiatrists, and neurologists. Findings: The most commonly used cognitive based assessments are MMSE (41%), and MoCA and LOTCA (15.2%). The only clinical assessment used is the Line- Bisection Test (2.2%). The most used occupation-based assessments are FIM (6.5%), COPM (4.3%), the Interest Checklist (2.2%), and the Barthel Index (2.2%). Resources related to cognitive rehabilitation in Kuwait that are unavailable to practitioners include journal clubs (91%), special interest groups (89%), and continuing education programs (82.6%). Barriers to cognitive rehabilitation practice included lack of sufficient funds for continuing education, lack of time, lack of standardized assessments, and lack of inter-professional teamwork. Conclusion & Significance: Many adults in Kuwait live with cognitive impairment. Current practice needs to be improved and further developed. There is a need to develop appropriate evidence-based cognitive rehabilitation clinical guidelines in Kuwait.