Staff Traumatic Brain Injury Skill Builder: Evaluation of an Online Training Program for Paraprofessional Staff Serving Adults With Moderate-Severe TBI

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the online, self-guided, interactive Staff TBI Skill Builder training program for paraprofessional staff.

Design: A within-subjects, nonexperimental evaluation involving 79 paraprofessionals and professionals working across a range of settings. Participants completed a pretest (T1), a posttest immediately upon program completion (T2), and follow-up (T3) 60 days after program completion.

Measures: (1) Knowledge of basic traumatic brain injury facts; (2) knowledge application; (3) self-efficacy in responding to text-based application scenarios; (4) self-report of skill utilization and effectiveness; and (5) program satisfaction (ease-of-use and usefulness).

Results: Participants demonstrated high levels of knowledge, knowledge application, and self-efficacy at pretest. Despite the high pretest levels, participants showed significant improvements in knowledge application (d = 0.50) after using the program. Nonsignificant gains in knowledge (d = 0.13) and self-efficacy (d = 0.02) were found. The use of selected skills significantly increased from posttest to follow-up. Participants reported high program satisfaction; 99% of the participants indicated that they would recommend the program to others.

Conclusion: These results demonstrate the feasibility of providing interactive, online training for paraprofessionals serving adults with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury.