Brain Injury Lawyer - New York

Seeking Comments on the Pediatric Mild TBI Guideline Protocol

Between March 7 and April 7, the Pediatric Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Guideline Workgroup is seeking public comment on a guideline protocol on diagnosing and treating pediatric mild TBI (among patients age 18 and under).

Comprised of leading experts in the field of TBI, CDC Injury Center’s Board of Scientific Counselors established the Pediatric Mild TBI Guideline Workgroup to create a clinical guideline for health care professionals working in the acute care and primary care setting.

The Workgroup is using the American Academy of Neurology’s (AAN) guideline development process to develop a multidisciplinary, evidence-based guideline. You can access the guideline protocol for review and comment   by clicking here 

Public comment on the guideline protocol is one of the first steps in the evidence-based clinical guideline development process. To learn more about the Pediatric Mild TBI Guideline Workgroup and next steps for the project, click here 

National Brain Injury Survey from Sarah Jane Brain Foundation

The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation (SJBF) and CE Outcomes have announced a national survey to identify gaps in services and research dealing with brain injury.

This is a joint effort during Brain Injury Awareness Month to understand the current state of brain injury across the country and across two different clinical populations (youth/developing brain and adult/developed brain).

The survey will investigate the differences in services between “Mild” TBI/concussions and moderate to severe brain injury. In addition, the assessment will analyze across the continuum of care from prevention to acute care/rehabilitation services to reintegration/long-term care. The online survey is being hosted by CE Outcomes and can be accessed by clicking here.

“This survey will include physicians, psychologists, educators, allied health professionals, and most importantly families and brain injury survivors across this country,” said Dr. Ron Savage, President of SJBF and author of the survey. “We will have data from thousands of voices to better understand the gaps in services that impact the lives of millions of people. Those voices will be heard.”

New government sponsored concussion study reported

Reuters News Service reports that a new sports concussion study has been initated by the United State Institute of Medicine, which is part of the National Academies of Science to investigate sports related concussions among our nation’s youth.  The study will look at concussions in children from elementary school through early adulthood and will also include military personnel and their dependants.

The government study will review concussions and risk factors pertaining to this type of brain injury.

The study is being headed by Robert Graham, a public health expert at the George Washington University School of Public Health.  According to Reuters, the study panel will likely submit its findings to the Institute of Medicine in the middle of the summer, with publication expected in late 2013.

Sponsors of the study include the Department of Defense, the CDC and the National Institutes of Health. The panel will also examine studies being done by the CDC and the American Academy of Neurology.

Workplace Flexibility Toolkit following a brain injury or other disability

Survivors of traumatic brain injury are entitled to reasonable accommodations in the work place.

The Office of Disability Employment Policy has released the Workplace Flexibility Toolkit, a collection of more than 170 resources for employees, employers, policymakers, and researchers. 

Workplace Flexibility enables individuals and business needs to be met through making changes in when, where and how an employee works.

The toolkit includes case studies, fact and tip sheets, issue briefs, reports, articles and links to web sites.  The toolkit can be accessed by clicking here

 

Traumatic brain injury model system fact sheets translated into Spanish

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model Systems are funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) and are located in 16 Model Centers throughout the country.  In New York, a model program exists at Mt Sinai Medical Center and at Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine.

The Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) summarizes research, identifies health information needs, and develops information resources to support the Model Systems programs in meeting the needs of individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI), traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and burn injuries (Burn).

The traumatic brain injury model systems translation center has translated all of the TBI Model Systems Fact Sheets into Spanish.  The individual fact sheets are available with Spanish versions linked in PDF format.  For a list of Spanish editions click here

 

 

Interactive brain web site

Just found a new web site, BrainMaps, which is an interactive, multi-resolution brain atlas.  The site contains annotated, scanned images of both primate and non primate brains and has a high speed data base for finding information about brain structure and brain function.  Check it out!

New drug may provide significant benefits to brain injury survivors and stroke victims, even years after an injury occurs

A new study in the journal, CNS Drugs reports that a drug, etanercept, seems to provide clinical improvement to brain injury survivors and stroke survivors, even years after the stroke or traumatic event by reducing brain inflamation.

The study of 629 patients, conducted over the course of nearly two years, documents a diverse range of positive effects, including statistically significant rapid clinical improvement in motor impairment, spasticity, cognition, etc. in the stroke group, with a similar pattern of improvement seen in the traumatic brain injury (TBI) group. The study involved 617 patients treated an average of 42 months after stroke and 12 patients treated an average of 115 months after TBI, long after further spontaneous meaningful recovery would be expected.

Here is the full citation to the study: Tobinick E, Kim N, Reyzin G, et al. Selective TNF Inhibition for Chronic Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury – An Observational Study Involving 629 Consecutive Patients Treated with Perispinal Etanercept. CNS Drugs, 2012; 16 (12)

Traumatic Brain Injury Assistance Apps

Thanks to BrainLine Military News for sharing information on Six Free Military Smartphone Apps to assist those with brain damage.

Here is what BrainLine has to say:

There are smartphone applications ("apps") for just about everything — from staying organized to finding pharmacies on the go. Sometimes, however, it's hard to find the apps that really improve our lives. The following six apps were created for service members and veterans, their families, and the professionals who care for them. The apps help with issues ranging from stress and mood management to tools to help improve quality of care for people with mild traumatic brain injury.

To view the brain injury assistance apps, click here.

Identifying and treating concussions and mild traumatic brain injury in returning veterans-free on line course

A free on line course has been developed by BrainLine Military intended to be a resource for professionals involved in working with and assessing returning veterans for traumatic brain injuries.

Civilian health care providers are seeing increasing numbers of returning service members and veterans. BrainLine Military's free online course, "Identifying and Treating Concussion/mTBI (mild traumatic brain injury) in Service Members and Veterans," is an excellent resource. "Knowing if your patient has been to war can help you offer better care. Concussions are treatable, the prognosis is good, and this course will get you started," says Capt. J.L. Hancock, MD, US Army.

The course covers symptoms of mild TBI, diagnostic criteria, treatment guidelines, and more. It features video interviews with experts and service members as well as articles, and resources to help patients with TBI and their families.

Learn more about the course by clicking here.

Valuable new resource for service members and their families following a traumatic brain injury

The first edition of the Brainline Military Newsletter is now available on line.  The newsletter is produced by the award winning team at Brainline and is intended to be a resource for service members and their families following a traumatic brain injury.  You can subscribe for the free monthly newsletter by clicking here.

BrainLineMilitary.org provides military-specific information and resources on traumatic brain injury to veterans, service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard, Reserve, and their families. Through video, webcasts, articles, personal stories, research briefs, and current news, those whose lives have been affected by TBI can learn more about brain injury symptoms and treatment, rehabilitation, and family issues associated with TBI care and recovery.