| Summary: | This thesis is an ethnography which explores acquired brain injury (ABI) survivor experiences of rehabilitation and compares these experiences with an analysis of discourses of ABI, as well as the social and organisational arrangements of rehabilitation services. Acquired brain injury interacts with the health care setting in complex ways. Many of the usual markers in which the individual might be interpreted as a patient such as assessing symptoms, the method of diagnosis, how the progress of the patient is viewed and the actual act of getting better are immensely complicated and, at times, even contradictory in this setting. Very often, these markers become negotiated. When the understanding of these different interactions between actors is contested, (e.g. when there is a disagreement between professional, family member and patient as to what a symptom might be or what a goal to work towards might be) this can become problematic. The ultimate objective is to use the study’s findings to inform ABI services and potentially enable better provision. Health care professionals work tirelessly in difficult environments, with increasing workloads and often with scarce resources. Research that specifically engages with the interactions within the health care setting will aid understanding of good practice and help prioritise the importance given to parts of the service which are currently under-represented. This research also aims to make a contribution to the sociology of biomedicine, healthcare organisation and work which investigates the body, identity and disability, particularly hidden disabilities. The practical implications of this research would inform decision makers of the extent to which identity work and participation underpins the success of the overall rehabilitation process.
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