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Objectives: To perform a methodical review of the evidence available for the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation in individuals with diagnosed medical conditions known to affect cognitive function, and to establish evidence-based recommendations for clinical practice, as appropriate., Data Sources: Ovid Medline and PubMed literature searches were conducted using the terms cognition, cognitive, crossed with the terms rehabilitation, remediation, retraining, training, crossed with 11 medical diagnostic categories. Articles through December 2008 were accessed, with a resulting 2284 abstracts., Study Selection: A total of 211 articles were selected from initial abstract review. These articles were then assessed by committee members, with agreement of at least 2 members, using 9 exclusion and 3 inclusion criteria. A total of 34 remaining articles were submitted to full review., Data Extraction: Articles were reviewed under diagnostic categories using specific criteria recorded on structured data sheets. Classification was performed according to guidelines of the American Academy of Neurology, with agreement between 2 committee members necessary for final decisions., Data Synthesis: Of the 34 studies fully evaluated, 1 was rated as class I, 6 as class II, 2 as class III, and 25 as class IV. Evidence within each diagnostic area was synthesized for the formulation of Practice Standards, Practice Guidelines, and Practice Options, as possible., Conclusions: Two clinical practice recommendations were advanced, 1 each in the diagnostic areas of brain neoplasms and epilepsy/seizure disorders. Discussion included comments on the research status of the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation for cognitive deficits related to these medical conditions, as well as suggestions for future directions in research., (Copyright © 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the methodological quality of research on cognitive rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury (TBI)., Data Sources: Secondary analysis of studies identified in prior systematic reviews of cognitive rehabilitation., Study Selection: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies involving exclusively or primarily participants with TBI., Data Extraction: Criteria for evaluating methodological quality were adapted from prior reviews of rehabilitation research. These criteria were modified to be relevant to cognitive rehabilitation research. Sixteen criteria for evaluating the quality of RCTs were applied: 8 relating to the internal validity of studies, 5 descriptive criteria, and 3 statistical criteria. Twelve of these criteria were used to evaluate non-RCT observational studies., Data Synthesis: Thirty-two RCTs and 21 observational studies were independently reviewed and rated by 2 of the authors. Initial agreement between raters for individual studies ranged from 57% to 100%. Interrater reliabilities based on the kappa statistic indicated moderate to substantial agreement., Conclusions: Several high-quality RCTs support the effectiveness of interventions for attention, communication skills, and executive functioning after TBI. Several high-quality observational studies support the effectiveness of comprehensive-holistic rehabilitation after TBI, including improvements in participation outcomes. The proposed criteria appear useful for evaluating the quality of research on cognitive rehabilitation and improving the design and reporting of future research in this area.