Abstract for presentation at 6th World Congress on Brain Injury

The Prognostic Indicators in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Study of Mild Brain Injury Subjects for the First Six Months following Injury

  • Dr Mark Slatyer, University of Tasmania, Australia
  • Professor Clive Skilbeck, University of Tasmania, Australia
  • Ms Kathryn Marsden, University of Tasmania, Australia
  • Associate Professor Anthony Bell, University of Tasmania, Australia
  • Dr Albert Erasmus, Royal Hobart Hospital, Australia
  • Associate Professor Alistair Meyers, University of Tasmania, Australia

    • A systematic sample of the population of southern Tasmania of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) patients seen in the main emergency departments, general practices and prisons of Hobart for the study period from December 2003 until March 2005. Subjects were seen within seventy two hours for initial assessment, 14 days, 28 days, 3 and 6 months. They were assessed for mechanism of injury, risk factors for MTBI, GOAT, FIM, DRS, Depression scales, quality of life, NART, Rivermead head injury scale, PASAT and they were followed up to six months. Other measures of outcome included were time to return to work, social disruption and lost earnings. An multivariate analysis of the predictors of outcome at the time of presentation and initial assessment enabled a better understanding of the outcome from this common and debilitating injury. The construction of a scale for use by emergency and primary care workers will aid in identifying which patients would benefit from early intervention and which would not.

    Conference Organiser - ICMS Pty Ltd