National Concussion Surveillance System

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Getting Answers about Concussion. Learning more to better prevent, treat, and recover from concussions. Current data sources may capture only 1 out of every 9 concussions across the nation.

Getting Answers about Concussion Injury. Learning more to better prevent, treat, and recover from concussions. Better Prevention. Learning more allows us to better: allocate prevention resources, target prevention efforts to those most at risk, evaluate whether prevention efforts are working.

Getting Answers about Concussion Care. Learning more to better prevent, treat, and recover from concussions. Better treatment. Learning more allows us to better: identify the settings in which clinician training is most needed, and minimize barriers to care.

Getting Answers about Concussion Rehabilitation. Learning more to better prevent, treat, and recover from concussions. Better Recovery. Learning more allows us to better: identify unmet needs, and understand current processes for returning to work, school, or play and identify areas for improvement.

CDC is committed to finding answers for Americans concerned about concussion and other traumatic brain injuries (TBI). CDC is working to develop systems and programs that best address this important public health problem.

CDC finished pilot testing a survey about TBI experienced by children and adults in fall 2019. The pilot results are helping to refine plans for a National Concussion Surveillance System (NCSS). NCSS will help improve prevention, care, and recovery efforts underway at CDC and among groups invested in helping those who experience a TBI.

Benefits of the National Concussion Surveillance System

The state-of-the-art NCSS will be able to accurately determine how many Americans (children and adults) get a concussion each year and determine the cause. In addition, the results of a national system would inform and equip leaders within communities and states across the U.S. by:

CDC’s Effort to Build a National Concussion Surveillance System

The Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization Act of 2018 was signed into law on December 21, 2018. This bill directs CDC to implement a National Concussion Surveillance System.

  • Providing information about the most common cause of injury for concussion, including motor vehicle crashes, falls, and self-harm
  • Providing the first national estimates of sports-related concussions among youth that occur both in and outside of organized sports
  • Monitoring trends to understand whether the number of concussions is increasing or decreasing, and assessing whether prevention efforts are working
  • Giving insight to healthcare providers and hospitals about where patients seek care for concussion and their recovery needs

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