Attention as a precondition of rehabilitation

Abstract

Introduction: Attention, as a function, is described as a significant predictor of recovery after brain injury. It is also a necessary precondition for the patient’s participation in the further course of rehabilitation. Attention is defined as the ability to direct and maintain psychic energy to a selected number of relevant stimuli. The main features of attention are tenacity and vigilance. Tenacity means the ability to retain psychic energy for as long as a certain situation requires. For example, solving a specific task or multiple tasks. Vigilance is a feature of attention that psychic energy is quickly transferred from one information or stimulus to another. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the influence of an experimental factor on attention recovery in people with brain injuries. Method: Two groups of subjects were formed, experimental and control. The experimental group consisted of subjects with brain injuries and the control group included their healthy peers. The subjects in both groups were aged 15-20 years. Subjects of the experimental group were subjected to the experimental factor. Results: The results of the study tested with easy-R software system (EZR, version 1.41.64-bit) showed highly statistically significant differences (p<.01) between the experimental and control groups. Conclusion: The application of the experimental factor contributed to the recovery of attention functions in subjects with brain injuries.