This report summarizes the comments, suggestions, and recommendations of a working group convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on assessment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) outcomes in children and youth. It is intended for researchers, public health professionals—including those from state health departments—and advocates interested in furthering research on outcomes of TBI in children.

TBI is often described as the leading cause of disability in children, but data to support this assertion are lacking. We know that each year an estimated 3,000 children and youth die from TBI; 29,000 are hospitalized; and 400,000 are treated in hospital emergency departments. Currently, no population-based studies of the outcomes of TBI among children and youth exist to provide national estimates of TBI-related disability and document the need for services.

On October 26 and 27, 2000, the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC held a meeting of researchers, advocates and other professionals from the U.S. and New Zealand to discuss "Methodological Issues in Assessing Outcomes of TBI in Children and Youth." The primary purpose of this meeting was to determine the feasibility and appropriate methods for conducting population-based follow-up studies of outcomes of TBI in children and youth.

Meeting participants identified key research topics and variables to measure in assessing longer-term outcomes of TBI in children and youth (ages 0-16 years). They reviewed several conceptual models of disability, including the Institute of Medicine Model and the World Health Organization Model, that could provide a framework for designing appropriate studies of TBI outcomes. They also discussed the advantages and shortcomings of available measures for assessing these outcomes. Finally, the working group described the challenges in designing and implementing studies on TBI in children and youth and recommended ways to address those challenges.

Meeting participants recommended that further research be done to examine physiological responses to brain injury, patterns of recovery and treatment and costs of TBI. The group suggested that the field needs to explore the applicability of various types of research, including qualitative research. Some examples suggested included focus groups and individual interviews. Meeting participants also recommended methods for improving measurement, data analysis and terminology used in the study of TBI.

This page last modified on September 19, 2006

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