International Journal of Neurorehabilitation

How is guided interaction therapy, the Affolter Modell®, beneficial for adults with severe impairments after acquired brain injury: protocol for a scoping review

Abstract

Helle Roenn-Smidt*, Lone Black Lund, Anna Birthe Andersen, Trine Marlene Nedergaard Steenholt and Hanne Pallesen

Background: The prevalence of acquired brain injury is on a steady rise globally. This has important implications for individuals, their families, broader society, and even the socioeconomic landscape of countries. Addressing the complexity of these impairments is challenging, especially in individuals with severe impairments. Several health professionals highlight the Affolter Modell® as an effective method for enhancing basic perceptual and cognitive functions in relation to sensory stimuli processing, potentially impacting higher cognitive functions such as planning and problem solving in daily tasks. Unfortunately, the Affolter Modell® lacks scientific evidence, which hinders its widespread use in neuro-rehabilitation.

Objective: This protocol aims to explore the potential benefits of Guided Interaction Therapy (GTIT), the Affolter-Modell ®, for adults experiencing severe impairments after acquired brain injury.

Methods: The protocol uses a PICO framework (Population, Phenomenon of Interest, Context) to establish search algorithms for databases like MEDLINE, Cinahl, PsycINFO and EMBASE, and conducting searches in German national and regional library databases to find studies published in German and Switzerland. Two reviewers independently screen titles, abstracts and full-text articles using the convidence software to determine if they meet the inclusion criteria. Included studies undergo evaluation using a design-specific quality assessment template, i.e. the appropriate CASP checklist. Finally, the reviewers develop and pilot-test a data extraction template to ensure a systematic approach to data collection and analysis.

Results: The results will generate an overview of the existing knowledge on GTIT. The findings will clarify the documentation on GTIT, highlighting its potential integration into neurorehabilitation after ABI and specifying its applicability. Moreover, the results will shed light on any research gaps concerning GTIT.

Conclusions: This scoping review aims to raise awareness of the foundational knowledge underpinning GTIT. Additionally, it will serve as an initial phase in a larger study exploring the practice and evidence base on GTIT.

HTML PDF