A generic, ‘in-house’, alphanumeric paging system for prospective activity impairments after traumatic brain injury

Objective: For settings having suitable infrastructure, generic, ‘in-house’ alphanumeric paging systems can be constructed that are fully under clinician control. Development of such a system for therapeutic application is described and a single-case study presented that assessed whether the system could improve repetitive, prospective use of a daily planner. Design: ABA′ single case. Methods: The participant was male, in his mid-30s, having cognitive impairments subsequent to recent TBI superimposed on remote neurological changes. The pager reminded him to record therapeutic information in a daily planner, for discussion with a family member each evening. Results: During intervention (B) trials, reliable memory log usage was noted. By trial five of return-to-baseline (A′) trials, there was decreased memory log use. Conclusions: Alphanumeric paging facilitated reliable use of a memory log compensation technique. The ‘in-house’ paging system proved particularly suitable for intervention development. Limits of the study are discussed and other therapeutically useful wireless technologies are noted.