Utilization of inpatient ophthalmology services in Taiwan-A nationwide population study.

BACKGROUND: This study attempted to illustrate the demographic of inpatient eye careservice from 1997 to 2011 in Taiwan, and also the ophthalmic disease landscape and utilization change over time. These insights might apply to resource allocation planning and trainees' better understandings of ophthalmic inpatient practice. METHODS: This study utilized Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Admission records of eye service that occurred since 1997 and until 2011 were included. Records were separated into operative and non-operative. The records were further divided according to their time: a group of early time before 2006 and a late one after 2006. RESULTS: Patients' mean age were 56 and 44 years for operative and non-operative records. The sex ratio (male to female) was 1.3, and the average of admission duration was 4 days. The average spending was around 1000 United State Dollars per admission and a gradually upgoing trend was also noted. The number of inpatient eye services decreased over time, from 3,248 to 2,174 in the studied period. Cases admitted for operation primarily underwent cataract surgery, vitrectomy, and scleral buckling during the studied period. Trabeculectomy emerged as another major indication of admission during the later time. Cases admitted for non-operative management were primarily corneal ulcer, glaucoma, and infection, including orbital cellulitis and lid abscess. Corneal ulcers made up a major proportion of admission records in the non-operative group during both periods. CONCLUSIONS: This study described the demographics of inpatient eye service in Taiwan. Ophthalmologist, especially trainees, and officials could make better policies according to the presented results in this study.

Systematic Screening for SARS-CoV-2 to Detect Asymptomatic Infections: An Epitome of Taiwan's Outbreak.

BACKGROUND: Increased studies have revealed that asymptomatic carriers substantially impact the epidemic and that asymptomatic transmission is very common. Therefore, the asymptomatic transmission threat to the spread of the pandemic should not be neglected. METHODS: The local outbreak in Taiwan, especially in Taipei City, is unprecedented and paramount and has claimed hundreds of lives, tens of thousands of cases, and enormous economic costs. As care providers and gatekeepers of infectious diseases, Taipei City Hospital has to perform regular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results of admitted patients and healthcare workers (HCWs) to achieve these goals. RESULTS: In this study, the results revealed a low positive rate of less than 1%, but the asymptomatic proportions could range from 42% to 46%, which bolsters that systematic screening was effective in controlling coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) of Novel Coronavirus or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and might be an exemplar to other similar scenarios. Universal screening of admitted patients may be important and necessary, especially in asymptomatic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Regular screening for healthcare providers is also important during this pandemic, and it is recommended that admitted patients and healthcare providers undergo systemic PCR testing.

Efficacy and safety of transscleral cyclophotocoagulation versus cyclocryotherapy in the treatment of intractable glaucoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

To perform a meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of diode laser transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (TSCPC) and cyclocryotherapy (CCT) in the treatment of intractable glaucoma. Systemic searches of the Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases yielded experimental and observational comparative studies. TSCPC and CCT efficacy and safety outcomes were compared. Subgroup analyses of participant ethnicity, preoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) level, and underlying causes of glaucoma were conducted. The pooled effects were computed using the random-effects model. The meta-analysis included nine studies totalling 668 eyes. There was no statistically significant difference between the TSCPC and CCT groups in the IOP reduction (IOPR%), decrease in antiglaucoma medications, the operative success rate with or without medications, or retreatment rate in the efficacy analysis. In the subgroup analysis, CCT had a better IOP-lowering effect among non-Asian participants and a non-inferior IOPR% to TSCPC among Asian participants. TSCPC and CCT were associated with similar rates of deterioration in visual acuity, postoperative visual analog scale, and other analysed postoperative complications in the safety analysis. In both groups, severe complications were uncommon. Diode laser TSCPC and CCT had nearly equivalent clinical efficacy in treating intractable glaucoma, while CCT demonstrated a better IOP-lowering effect in non-Asian. Both cyclodestructive procedures have a comparable safety profile.

Salpingectomy for ectopic pregnancy reduces ovarian cancer risk-a nationwide study.

Recent studies propose fallopian tubes as the tissue origin for many ovarian epithelial cancers. To further support this paradigm, we assessed whether salpingectomy for treating ectopic pregnancy had a protective effect using the Taiwan Longitudinal National Health Research Database. We identified 316 882 women with surgical treatment for ectopic pregnancy and 3 168 820 age- and index-date-matched controls from 2000 to 2016. In a nested cohort, 91.5% of cases underwent unilateral salpingectomy, suggesting that most surgically managed patients have salpingectomy. Over a follow-up period of 17 years, the ovarian carcinoma incidence was 0.0069 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.0060 to 0.0079) and 0.0089 (95% CI = 0.0086 to 0.0092) in the ectopic pregnancy and the control groups, respectively (P < .001). After adjusting the events to per 100 person-years, the hazard ratio (HR) in the ectopic pregnancy group was 0.70 (95% CI = 0.61 to 0.80). The risk reduction occurred only in epithelial ovarian cancer (HR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.63 to 0.86) and not in non-epithelial subtypes. These findings show a decrease in ovarian carcinoma incidence after salpingectomy for treating ectopic pregnancy.

Gout as a Risk Factor for Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Taiwanese Adults-A Population-Based Study in Taiwan.

The relationship between gout and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was suggested in previous literature but has yet to be accepted fully among physicians. This study aimed to explore the effect of gout on the development of age-related macular degeneration in Taiwan. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Database that includes a 2-million-persons dataset. The crude hazard ratio, Kaplan-Meier plot, and separate cox proportional hazard ratio were utilized to demonstrate the effect of gout on the development of age-related macular degeneration. The crude hazard ratio for gout patients developing AMD was 1.55 and the adjusted hazard ratio 1.20. In conclusion, gout is a risk factor for developing AMD, and achieving good disease management is therefore essential for preventing AMD from occurring.

Therapeutic effect of cataract surgery with simultaneous intravitreal injection of aflibercept on diabetic macular edema: An observational study.

This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of cataract surgery along with simultaneous intravitreal injection (IVI) of aflibercept on diabetic macular edema (DME). This cohort study enrolled 106 patients aged >40 years with type 2 diabetes mellitus and DME who received cataract surgery from January 1, 2016, to October 31, 2020. The baseline and mean data of the following parameters were collected: age, sex, glycated hemoglobin level, diabetic retinopathy (DR) grading, previous DR treatments including IVI of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor and pan-retinal photocoagulation, intraocular pressure, use of intraocular pressure-lowering medication, central subfield thickness (CST), and log MAR visual acuity (VA). Patients were categorized into 2 groups based on whether they received aflibercept IVI or not during cataract surgery and were compared using the t test and Fisher exact test for continuous and discrete variables, respectively. Beta coefficient and standard error were calculated using multiple linear regression analysis to identify the explanatory variables predictive of the net change of CST and log MAR VA. There was no difference in the net change in CST (15.24 ± 45.07 µm vs 18.62 ± 33.84 µm, P = .772) and log MAR VA (-0.27 ± 0.29 vs -0.37 ± 0.31, P = .215). Gender, glycated hemoglobin level, aflibercept IVI during cataract surgery, and baseline CST did not interfere with the morphological and functional outcomes of DME in cataract surgery. Older age was significantly and independently associated with a greater net change in log MAR VA. Proliferative DR was significantly and independently associated with a greater net change in CST and log MAR VA. A greater baseline log MAR VA was significantly and independently associated with lower net change in log MAR VA. Simultaneous aflibercept IVI for treating DME may not interfere with the functional and tomographic parameters of cataract surgery relative to cataract surgery alone. Factors influencing the outcomes of patients with DME undergoing cataract surgery are as follows: age, baseline DR staging, and baseline VA. Identifying these factors of DME preoperatively may be an important consideration in preventing it from progressing and for improving the overall visual prognosis.

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Treatment Efficiency for Traumatic Brain Injury in the Emergency Department: A Multicenter Study in Taiwan.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted emergency department (ED) practice, including the treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI), which is commonly encountered in the ED. Our study aimed to evaluate TBI treatment efficiency in the ED during the COVID-19 pandemic. A retrospective observational study was conducted using the electronic medical records from three hospitals in metropolitan Taipei, Taiwan. The time from ED arrival to brain computed tomography (CT) and the time from ED arrival to surgical management were used as measures of treatment efficiency. TBI treatment efficiencies in the ED coinciding with a small-scale local COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 (P1) and large-scale community spread in 2021 (P2) were compared against the pre-pandemic efficiency recorded in 2019. The interval between ED arrival and brain CT was significantly shortened during P1 and P2 compared with the pre-pandemic interval, and no significant delay between ED arrival and surgical management was found, indicating increased treatment efficiency for TBI in the ED during the COVID-19 pandemic. Minimizing viral spread in the community and the hospital is vital to maintaining ED treatment efficiency and capacity. The ED should retain sufficient capacity to treat older patients with serious TBI during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Acute monocular nasal hemianopia following a mild traumatic brain injury: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Monocular hemianopia is a visual field defect with an uncommon pattern. The etiology of monocular temporal hemianopia has been well-evaluated and has been suggested to result from an optic nerve or chiasmal lesion. However, the etiology of monocular nasal hemianopia remains unclear. PATIENT CONCERNS: Here, we present the case of a 41-year-old male who was punched on the head with fists during a fight and then suffered from painless blurred vision in the left eye after mild traumatic brain injury. An ophthalmic examination revealed a conjunctival chemosis, periorbital hematoma, and a relative afferent pupillary defect in the left eye. Automated perimetry indicated there was a left side nasal hemianopia along the vertical meridian. DIAGNOSIS: Examination of the fundus showed there was a normal appearing retina and disc bilaterally. Fluorescein angiography revealed no delayed filling of the vessels. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed unremarkable findings of the visual pathways, orbit, and brain. A diagnosis of left traumatic optic neuropathy was made. INTERVENTIONS: Systemic steroid pulse therapy (1 gram of intravenous methylprednisolone per day) was given to the patient for 3 days. OUTCOMES: An ophthalmologic examination after treatment indicated there was no obvious improvement in the relative afferent pupillary defect, best corrected visual acuity, and color sense. A second set of automated perimetry results showedno changes after 3 months. CONCLUSION: Monocular nasal hemianopia caused by traumatic optic neuropathy is uncommon. In this case, monocular nasal hemianopia was likely due to ischemic changes from impairment of the prechiasmal arterial anastomotic network or indirect injury to the lateral prechiasmal nerve fiber.

Utilization of emergency ophthalmology services in Taiwan: a nationwide population study.

The aim of this study was to conduct a nationwide survey of the use of emergency ophthalmology services using a sub-dataset of one million beneficiaries sampled from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) for the years 2008 through 2012. By analyzing this population dataset, the study illustrates the disease landscape of emergency eye care services. The five-year, one-million-person NHIRD sub-dataset for 2008 through 2012 was used to explore emergency visits and ophthalmology specialty visits and to analyze the associated demographics and diagnosis codes based on the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). Diagnoses were categorized into three groups: urgent, non-urgent, and intermediate. A total of 2454 emergency eye care visits were identified. The mean age of the patients who made these visits was 34.6 years old, and their sex ratio was 1.36 men to women. The percentages of urgent, non-urgent, and intermediate eye care visits in this study were 48.2%, 30.9%, and 20.9%, respectively. The leading diagnoses in the urgent category were corneal abrasions, foreign bodies in the eyes, eye burns, and blunt eye injuries. The leading diagnoses for the non-urgent visits were conjunctivitis, subconjunctival hemorrhages, trichiasis, and dry eye disease. Those for the intermediate category were superficial punctate keratitis, corneal opacity and degeneration, and lid, orbital, and lacrimal drainage infections. The urgent visit category accounted for nearly half of all the visits identified in this study. Compared to outpatient department visitors, the emergency ophthalmology service patients were younger and more predominantly male. These results were consistent with those of previous reports. Low copays have made emergency ophthalmology services highly accessible in Taiwan. However, future policies can be designed to more effectively allocate resources to urgent cases.

Utilization of Outpatient Eye Care Services in Taiwan: A Nationwide Population Study.

INTRODUCTION: A study based on the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) to reveal the ocular diseases landscape. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study comprised all ophthalmological outpatient patient visits (n = 6,341,266) in the Taiwanese longitudinal NHIRD 2000. Descriptive analytics based on 15 disease categories of ICD-9-CM and 10 tiers of age categories was performed with SAS for Windows 9.3 (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC, U.S.A.). RESULTS: The average frequency of visits was 0.7 visits per year. The mean age was 36.2 years old. Bimodal peak of visits in the first, second, and eighth decade of life was revealed. Conjunctiva is the most dominant disease category throughout life while different categories play major roles in each decade of life. The most frequent disease code of each category was listed. DISCUSSION: The bimodal peak of visits revealed the age group of the most prominent ocular disease burden. Peak in school age population can be partially explained by the nationwide vision screening program, while aging accounts for the lens disorder and glaucoma of the senile peak. The disease category frequency variation among age categories reflects the development and aging of the eye. The most frequent disease codes of each category highlight disease of importance for primary practitioners and ophthalmologists. CONCLUSION: Taiwanese longitudinal NHIRD was used to reveal the ophthalmological disease landscape. The epidemiological insight, while limited in clinical presentation and economic impact, enables physicians and policy makers to improve the overall vision health of the population.

Current screening practice in patients under long-term hydroxychloroquine medication in Taiwan: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), an analog of chloroquine, is widely used in various rheumatologic and dermatologic disorders. However, it may cause severe retinopathy with long-term use. The guidelines proposed by the American Academy of Ophthalmology suggested a baseline fundus examination and an annual screening after 5 years by using automated visual fields (VF) plus spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Both multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) and fundus autofluorescence (FAF) can also be used to improve the accuracy of diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to examine if the current HCQ screening practice in Taiwan was sufficient according to the guidelines to prevent severe macular complications.This study could remind every doctor to explain visual side effects thoroughly to every patient using HCQ, and refer patients for the ophthalmologic survey to eliminate potential visual impairment caused by this medicine.This nationwide population-based cohort study included all patients who started taking HCQ (n = 5826) from January 1, 1997, to December 31, 2007, in the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000. The ICD codes used for HCQ retinopathy were 362.10, 362.55, 362.89, and 362.9. Patients previously diagnosed these retinal disorders were excluded. Demographic data including sex, age, diagnostic tools used, and the date of the initial diagnosis of the subsequent HCQ-related retinal disorder were collected. Patients were divided into 2 groups. The patients taking HCQ <5 years were defined as group 1, and >5 years as group 2. The risk of developing retinal diseases between these 2 groups was compared with a 2-sample t-test for continuous variables, and Fisher's exact test for discrete variables. Multiple logistic regressions were used for odds ratio calculation.The baseline examination ratio of the automated VF, SD-OCT scans, and multifocal electroretinograms (mfERGs) in the first 3 months were only 0.2% in both groups. The screening ratio of the 3 examination tools after 5 years were 1.1% in group 1 and 1.2% in group 2. 2.5% and 3.9% of patients developed a retinal disorder after HCQ use in group 1 and 2, respectively. The risk of developing retinal disorder was significantly higher in group 2 (relative risk = 1.53, P = .006). The odds ratio (OR) was also significantly higher in group 2 (1.67 with 95% cumulative incidence 1.20-2.30)The examination ratio according to the guidelines was very low in Taiwan. Thus, it is very important for doctors who prescribe HCQ to schedule both baseline and annual ophthalmology screening tests and inform patients of possible severe ocular complications, even in the patient taking HCQ <5 years. It is also important for ophthalmologists to review medical history carefully to find out the causes of retinotoxicity. Medications should be stopped, if possible when toxicity is recognized or strongly suspected.

Acute Anterior Uveitis as a Risk Factor of Ankylosing Spondylitis-A National Population-Based Study.

INTRODUCTION: In clinical settings, acute anterior uveitis (AAU) could be the first presentation of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Based on this hypothesis, we investigate whether AAU is a risk factor in developing AS later by using National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cohort comparison study used longitudinal Taiwanese NHIRD to probe the relative risk odds of AAU for AS development, and consisted of all patients diagnosed with AAU (n = 5621) (ICD-9-CM codes 364.00). The relative risks of AS between AAU patients and controls were compared by estimating the crude hazard ratio with logistic regression. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to calculate the cumulative incidence rates of developing AS, and a log-rank test was used to analyze the differences between the survival curves. Separate Cox proportional hazard regressions were performed to compute the AS-free rate after adjusting for possible confounding factors such as age and sex. RESULTS: The crude hazard ratio was 2.667 for the AAU group, and the adjusted hazard ratio was 2.705 for the AAU group. The observation time of the AS-free group was shorter for AAU patients compared with the control group (1507 versus 1578 days). Moreover, in the AAU patients, the younger age onset of AAU (less than 30 years old here) would lead to an earlier diagnosis of AS later with a median of 1445.5 (742-2241) versus 1544 (819-2289) days of survival for the group of age onset of AAU greater than 30 years old. The difference is statistically significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: AAU was a risk factor for AS. To identify AAU as an extra-articular manifestation is crucial for early diagnosis and treatment of AS and containing functional loss accordingly.

Atrial Fibrillation and Coronary Artery Disease as Risk Factors of Retinal Artery Occlusion: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

We use Taiwanese national health insurance research database (NHIRD) to investigate whether thrombolism (carotid artery disease (CAD) as a surrogate) or embolism (atrial fibrillation (AF) as a surrogate) plays roles in later retinal artery occlusion (RAO) development and examine their relative weights. The relative risks of RAO between AF and CAD patients and controls were compared by estimating the crude hazard ratio with logistic regression. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to calculate the cumulative incidence rates of developing RAO, and a log-rank test was used to analyze the differences between the survival curves. Separate Cox proportional hazard regressions were done to compute the RAO-free rate after adjusting for possible confounding factors such as age and sex. The crude hazard ratios were 7.98 for the AF group and 5.27 for the CAD group, and the adjusted hazard ratios were 8.32 and 5.34 for the AF and CAD groups, respectively. The observation time with RAO-free was shorter for AF compared with CAD group (1490 versus 1819 days). AF and CAD were both risk factors for RAO with different hazard ratios. To tackle both AF and CAD is crucial for curbing RAO.

The Prevalence of Dry Eye Syndrome's and the Likelihood to Develop Sjögren's Syndrome in Taiwan: A Population-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Dry eye syndrome (DES) is one of the key clinical features and possibly an early clinical presentation of Sjögren's syndrome (SS). We explore DES prevalence and assess the likelihood of DES patients to develop SS in Taiwan through the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). METHODS: Through a cohort comparison study, longitudinal data from the NHIRD (2000 to 2008) in Taiwan was used to probe the prevalence of DES and the odds that DES patients would later develop SS. RESULTS: The prevalence of DES in the present study is 4.87%. The incidence rates of developing SS were 4.8% for the DES group and 1.5% for comparison group. The median age and interquartile range of DES and comparison patients was 49.8 (10) and 48.7 (15) years old, respectively. The crude hazard ratio (with 95% confidence interval) for DES patients to develop SS was 3.13 (3.10-3.50) for the DES group, and the adjusted hazard ratio (with 95% confidence interval) was 3.64 (3.43-3.87). The observation period and interquartile range for DES and comparison patients to develop SS later were 1418 (781-2316) versus 1641 (971-2512) days respectively. CONCLUSIONS: DES patients carried a higher risk for developing SS (hazard ratio 3.13) and presented for SS 3.88 years earlier than comparison group patients in this study.

Building a national electronic medical record exchange system - experiences in Taiwan.

There are currently 501 hospitals and about 20,000 clinics in Taiwan. The National Health Insurance (NHI) system, which is operated by the NHI Administration, uses a single-payer system and covers 99.9% of the nation's total population of 23,000,000. Taiwan's NHI provides people with a high degree of freedom in choosing their medical care options. However, there is the potential concern that the available medical resources will be overused. The number of doctor consultations per person per year is about 15. Duplication of laboratory tests and prescriptions are not rare either. Building an electronic medical record exchange system is a good method of solving these problems and of improving continuity in health care. In November 2009, Taiwan's Executive Yuan passed the 'Plan for accelerating the implementation of electronic medical record systems in medical institutions' (2010-2012; a 3-year plan). According to this plan, a patient can, at any hospital in Taiwan, by using his/her health insurance IC card and physician's medical professional IC card, upon signing a written agreement, retrieve all important medical records for the past 6 months from other participating hospitals. The focus of this plan is to establish the National Electronic Medical Record Exchange Centre (EEC). A hospital's information system will be connected to the EEC through an electronic medical record (EMR) gateway. The hospital will convert the medical records for the past 6 months in its EMR system into standardized files and save them on the EMR gateway. The most important functions of the EEC are to generate an index of all the XML files on the EMR gateways of all hospitals, and to provide search and retrieval services for hospitals and clinics. The EEC provides four standard inter-institution EMR retrieval services covering medical imaging reports, laboratory test reports, discharge summaries, and outpatient records. In this system, we adopted the Health Level 7 (HL7) Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) standards to generate clinical documents and Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Cross-enterprise Document Sharing (XDS) profile for the communication infrastructure. By December of 2014, the number of hospitals that provide an inter-institution EMR exchange service had reached 321. Hospitals that had not joined the service were all smaller ones with less than 100 beds. Inter-institution EMR exchange can make it much easier for people to access their own medical records, reduce the waste of medical resources, and improve the quality of medical care. The implementation of an inter-institution EMR exchange system faces many challenges. This article provides Taiwan's experiences as a reference.

Using health smart cards to check drug allergy history: the perspective from Taiwan's experiences.

In Taiwan, national health insurance coverage began in 1994, and the Bureau of National Health Insurance has issued health smart cards since 2004. In addition to tracking medical reimbursements, these smart cards store healthcare information, including electronic prescriptions, medical procedure and vaccination records, drug allergy histories, and information about a patient's willingness to be an organ donor. We conducted this study 4 years after the smart cards had been introduced in order to review how drug allergy history is recorded using this system. Our results reveal that the drug allergy histories are incomplete in many cases, and the format used to record a patient's drug allergy history is not consistent. We offer suggestions to promote the standardization of drug allergy history records.

Development and implementation of a national telehealth project for long-term care: a preliminary study.

The aging population is a global phenomenon. The skyrocketing costs of healthcare and the shortage of healthcare providers will soon become a crucial issue all over the world. Taiwan's government executed the Taiwan's Telehealth Pilot Project (TTPP) from July 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008, using healthcare information technology to tackle these problems. The system has three different models, the home-care, the community-care, and the residential-care model to assist the elderly in the pursuit of better healthcare and improved quality of life. The results revealed both the home-care and community-care models facilitated timely medical responses if the enrolled patients had emergent conditions. In the home-care model, the hospital readmission rate was reduced from 8.19% to 3.17%, and the hospital visit rate was decreased from 2.95% to 2.90%. In community-care model, the medication nonadherence rate was reduced from 38.20% to 9.20%. In the residential-care model, reduced rates of readmission to the hospital, nosocomial infection and the adverse drug event were found. Telehealth enabled the aged with chronic illnesses to live independently and helped the institutionalized elderly get acute care more efficiently without increased manpower of healthcare organization.

Outcome prediction after moderate and severe head injury using an artificial neural network.

Many studies have constructed predictive models for outcome after traumatic brain injury. Most of these attempts focused on dichotomous result, such as alive vs dead or good outcome vs poor outcome. If we want to predict more specific levels of outcome, we need more sophisticated models. We conducted this study to determine if artificial neural network modeling would predict outcome in five levels of Glasgow Outcome Scale (death, persistent vegetative state, severe disability, moderate disability, and good recovery) after moderate to severe head injury. The database was collected from a nation-wide epidemiological study of traumatic brain injury in Taiwan from July 1, 1995 to June 30, 1998. There were total 18583 records in this database and each record had thirty-two parameters. After pruning the records with minor cases (GCS 13) and missing data in the 132 variables, the number of cases decreased from 18583 to 4460. A step-wise logistic regression was applied to the remaining data set and 10 variables were selected as being statically significant in predicting outcome. These 10 variables were used as the input neurons for constructing neural network. Overall, 75.8% of predictions of this model were correct, 14.6% were pessimistic, and 9.6% optimistic. This neural network model demonstrated a significant difference of performance between different levels of Glasgow Outcome Scale. The prediction performance of dead or good recovery is best and the prediction of vegetative state is worst. An artificial neural network may provide a useful "second opinion" to assist neurosurgeon to predict outcome after traumatic brain injury.