Introduction: Following acquired brain injury (ABI), neurorehabilitation is guided by goals defined jointly by the individual, the rehabilitation team, and family caregivers. When individuals with ABI are involved in the process of goal setting and prioritization, treatment compliance and success increase as a result of higher levels of self-determination and motivation. The Client’s Intervention Priorities (CIP)© is a self-assessment tool for defining rehabilitation priorities according to perceived functioning in daily activities and social roles. It is based on the Handicap Creation Process (HCP) model’s categories and was developed to promote active participation, empowerment, and autonomy during neurorehabilitation.

Objective: To investigate the construct validity (expert judgment) and reliability (internal consistency and temporal stability) of the CIP tool.

Methods: An expert panel of 17 neurorehabilitation professionals (minimum 10 years of experience) evaluated the CIP items regarding their clarity and level of correspondence with the HCP model. Thirty individuals with ABI (66.7% with traumatic brain injury, 33.3% with stroke) with a mean age of 44.8 (SD=12.6) years were administered the CIP tool at a test-retest interval of 2.3 (SD=0.7) weeks. 

Results: Experts agreed that the CIP is a valid tool for goal setting and prioritization (87.2%) and that it reflects the HCP model’s categories (89.4%). The CIP scores showed excellent internal consistency (α=.90) and temporal stability with an intraclass correlation coefficient of .84. 

Conclusions: The CIP is a valid and reliable self-assessment tool to help healthcare professionals and their clients set rehabilitation goals and guide treatment after ABI.

A PERSON-CENTERED INSTRUMENT TO GUIDE GOAL SETTING IN THE REHABILITATION OF INDIVIDUALS WITH ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY: THE CLIENT’S INTERVENTION PRIORITIES (CIP)© TOOL