N.I.H.: Many Patients with Brain Injury Get No Follow-Up

Millions of Americans go to the hospital each year for treatment of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as concussion. Though rarely fatal, concussions can have long-term effects that decrease quality of life. These include headaches, trouble with memory and reasoning, difficulty sleeping, and depression. A recent study found that almost a quarter of people with mild TBI still have related physical or mental problems a year later.

Other studies have suggested that many patients with mild TBI do not receive follow-up care that could help them manage these problems. A team led by Dr. Seth A. Seabury at the University of Southern California and Dr. Geoffrey Manley of the University of California, San Francisco, set out to better understand how such follow-up care is delivered nationwide.

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