Tool kit for mild traumatic brain injury available - Brief Article

AORN Journal, April, 2003

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has designed a tool kit to raise physicians' awareness of mild traumatic brain injuries, according to a Jan 22, 2003, news release from the organization. Heads Up Brain Injury in Your Practice is part of a larger initiative of the CDC's injury center. The kit provides clinical information on incidence, prevention strategies, diagnosis, and treatment. It also includes patient education materials and a booklet for patients diagnosed with a brain injury.

Mild traumatic brain injuries are known more commonly as concussions. Approximately 1.1 million people sustain concussions in the United States each year; however, many are released from medical care without hospitalization or never receive medical care. Those who are not hospitalized may experience long-term effects, such as persistent headache, confusion, pain, memory problems, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, mood changes, or vision or hearing problems.

CDC Unveils New Toolkit to Help Physicians Prevent and Treat Brain Injuries (news release, Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jan 22, 2003) http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r030122.htm (accessed 10 Feb 2003).