‘I went home not feeling prepared from the outset’: describing the co-design of a technological solution to address gaps in the transition from hospital to home for people with acquired brain injury

Tenelle Hodson; Louise Gustafsson; Camila Shirota; Rachel Brough; Alex Thompson; Timothy Geraghty; Geraldine Torrisi-Steele

doi:10.1071/IB25006

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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‘I went home not feeling prepared from the outset’: describing the co-design of a technological solution to address gaps in the transition from hospital to home for people with acquired brain injury

Tenelle Hodson

^A ^B ^* , Louise Gustafsson ^A ^B , Camila Shirota ^B , Rachel Brough ^B , Alex Thompson ^C , Timothy Geraghty ^B ^D and Geraldine Torrisi-Steele ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A School of Allied Health, Sport, and Social Work, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Qld, Australia.

^B The Hopkins Centre, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Qld, Australia.

^C School of Information and Communication Technology, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Qld, Australia.

^D Department of Rehabilitation, Metro South Hospital and Health Service, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Qld, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: tenelle.hodson@griffith.edu.au

Handling Editor: Melissa Brunner

Brain Impairment 26, IB25006 https://doi.org/10.1071/IB25006

Submitted: 13 January 2025 Accepted: 31 August 2025 Published: 25 September 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY)

Abstract

People with acquired brain injury (ABI) experience difficulties returning to everyday life post hospital discharge, despite specialised inpatient rehabilitation. This study sought to describe the co-design process of a project that aimed to explore how technology could be used to better prepare people with ABI for the transition home, as well as present participant feedback on experiences of participating in the process. A series of workshops were conducted with people with ABI (n = 4), health professionals (n = 3) and technology designers (n = 2). Participants identified that a smart device application (app) was the preferred medium for the technology solution and that it should house: goal setting, support team information, planning, educational resources and information about life before the ABI. Two prototypes were developed, providing participants an opportunity to further specify their app preferences, including the need for customisability and intuitive design. Participants felt that the time and length of workshops was ‘just right’, that their contributions were valued and were appreciative of the opportunity to connect with others. The need for flexibility in the co-design process was emphasised, which is something that should be considered by ethics committees. Overall, all participants indicated that they enjoyed the co-design process and that such approaches should be considered when developing smart device apps. Following the co-design process, the smart device app has entered a second stage of development.

Keywords: brain injuries, continuity of patient care, co-design, digital technology, home environment, rehabilitation, technology, traumatic brain injury.

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