OBJECTIVE: To identify factors that people with a traumatic brain injury and their families perceived as helping to improve their quality of life.
METHODS: Three focus groups and five interviews were conducted with a total of 37 participants: 14 persons with traumatic brain injury and 23 caregivers. A content analysis was conducted. The constant comparative method was applied.
RESULTS: We detected five factors that improved the quality of life of persons with a traumatic brain and their families: 1) Informal support (family and friends); 2) formal support (counseling, employment, built and bureaucratic environment); 3) type of clinical characteristics; 4) social participation, and 5) social visibility.
CONCLUSIONS: The needs expressed by our participants primarily focused on social and emotional factors. For persons with severe traumatic brain injury attempting to achieve the best possible community integration, a new semiology is required, not limited to medical care, but also involving social and psychological care tailored to the needs of each individual and family and their environment.