TBI Data Collection

Alabama Profile
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Data Collection Information

Injury Core Capacity Development
Alabama is one of 28 states receiving CDC funding to conduct injury surveillance as part of an overall plan for injury control. The general injury data collected for the Core Capacity program examine causes of injury rather than the nature of the injury itself. 

Lead agency: Alabama Department of Public Health 
Phone: 334-206-5200
Fax: 334-206-2008
Website: www.adph.org 

Core State Injury Program: Alabama Profile 

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Registry
Alabama’s central nervous system (CNS) registry, which began collecting data in 2001, captures both TBI and spinal cord injury. Alabama currently obtains data about persons with CNS (head and spinal cord) injury from their trauma registry, though the state plans to soon enhance the CNS registry with hospital discharge data. 

Lead agency: Alabama Department of Public Health 
Phone: 334-206-5200
Fax: 334-206-2008
Website: www.adph.org 

Additional State Contact 
Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services
Phone: 800-441-7607
Website: www.rehab.state.al.us 

 
Program Spotlight 

Alabama’s Head and Spinal Cord Injury Registry: A subset of the Alabama Trauma Registry
In 1998, Alabama successfully passed legislation mandating the Alabama Head and Spinal Cord Injury Registry (AHSCIR). In 1999, the Alabama Trauma Registry (ATR) was established to support the AHSCIR legislation of the previous year and to broaden the scope of trauma data collection in Alabama. Data collection for the AHSCIR, a subset of the ATR, began in 2001. 

The AHSCIR includes in its case definition (based on ICD-9-CM codes) all traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI) admissions to Alabama hospitals, not just those of state residents. This is in contrast to some states with TBI/central nervous system (CNS) registries that only include state residents.

Included in the AHSCIR is information about current and future needs of those registered. The names of people registered in the AHSCIR system are then referred to the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation for follow-up.

Both the ASCIR and the ATR are still being developed. The law mandates that all hospitals report TBI and SCI data to the state; currently, about 50% of hospitals report consistently. The data from the two registries may not yet be representative of all TBI and SCI in Alabama. In the near future, the state hopes to improve mechanisms for reporting. Additionally, the AHSCIR program plans to augment trauma registry data with hospital discharge data from the Alabama State Health Planning and Development Agency to enhance the representativeness of the data. 

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