Abstract
Objectives
To present initial descriptive findings from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Polytrauma
Rehabilitation Centers (PRC) Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model Systems (MS) National
Database.
Design
Prospective cohort study.
Setting
VA PRC TBIMS National Database.
Participants
712 service members and veterans with TBI who consented to participate between January
2010 and June 2015.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Demographics, preinjury characteristics, injury characteristics, rehabilitation course,
functional outcomes, and discharge disposition by TBI severity level.
Results
The study cohort was predominantly male with moderate to severe TBI secondary to vehicular
accident or blast injury. Sixty-five percent were active duty service members; one-third
had been injured during deployment. One-third reported mental health treatment and/or
alcohol use problems in the year predating the index TBI. The median number of days
between injury and PRC admission was 42.5. Nearly 25% reported clinical levels of
posttraumatic stress disorder; 75% reported mild to moderate neurobehavioral symptomatology.
The median length of stay in the PRC was 36 days; those with severe TBI had the longest
lengths of stay. Functional independence ratings improved from admission to discharge
across all TBI severity levels. A majority were discharged to urban areas to reside
with spouses or other residents in private residences or adult homes, with some variability
by injury severity.
Conclusions
The VA PRC TBIMS national database is a rich source of information on a unique group
of individuals with TBI and promises to complement existing knowledge on TBI in the
civilian population.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
DRS (Disability Rating Scale), GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale), GOAT (Galveston Orientation and Amnesia), mTBI (mild traumatic brain injury), NIDRR (National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research), NSI (Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory), PCL-C (Posttraumatic Stress Checklist–Civilian), PRC (polytrauma rehabilitation center), PSC (polytrauma system of care), PTA (posttraumatic amnesia), PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), TBI (traumatic brain injury), TBIMS (Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems), TFC (time to follow commands), VA (Veterans Affairs)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 06, 2018
Footnotes
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The views, opinions, and/or findings contained in this article are those of the authors and should not be construed as an official Department of Defense position or any other federal agency, policy, or decision unless so designated by other official documentation.
Identification
Copyright
Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
