RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: To examine the nature and extent of persistent post-injury symptoms of persons who have experienced a work-related traumatic brain injury (WrTBI) in Ontario, Canada. METHODS: Using a retrospective case series design, post-injury symptoms, occupation, and work factors were examined for WrTBIs among an adult population. Data were abstracted from medical records of individuals who sustained a WrTBI and were discharged from a referral-based outpatient neurology service between the years of 1998 and 2001. RESULTS: Of the 435 individuals who sustained a WrTBI, most were ≥ 45 years of age and male. Approximately 50% had injuries to the head only, while others had multiple injuries. The most common post-injury symptoms were headaches (85.1%), memory changes (74.3%), and mood/personality changes (68.3%). A small subset of individuals reported very long-term post-injury symptoms, and a majority of individuals had not yet returned to work. CONCLUSIONS: This study profiles the demographic and clinical characteristics of an outpatient injured worker population with a history of WrTBI which provides a basis for the planning and implementation of assessment and treatment programs for this clinical population.
Assuntos
Afeto , Lesões Encefálicas/complicações , Cefaleia , Transtornos da Memória , Exposição Ocupacional/efeitos adversos , Síndrome Pós-Concussão , Adulto , Idoso , Lesões Encefálicas/epidemiologia , Canadá/epidemiologia , Feminino , Escala de Coma de Glasgow , Cefaleia/epidemiologia , Cefaleia/etiologia , Humanos , Indústrias , Masculino , Prontuários Médicos , Transtornos da Memória/epidemiologia , Transtornos da Memória/etiologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Pacientes Ambulatoriais , Síndrome Pós-Concussão/epidemiologia , Síndrome Pós-Concussão/etiologia , Prevalência , Estudos Retrospectivos , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Inquéritos e Questionários , Índices de Gravidade do Trauma , Resultado do Tratamento , População Branca/estatística & dados numéricos , Adulto JovemRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of interventions for mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) in adults as found in the literature. RESEARCH DESIGN: Systematic review of the literature. METHODS: Six electronic databases and 18 journals within the brain injury field were manually searched between the years 1980-2003. References from articles were scanned for further literature. Studies that met broad inclusion criteria were subjected to a formal test of relevance. Those found to be relevant were qualitatively tested for their methodological soundness. RESULTS: One thousand and fifty-five studies were initially identified and 163 were assessed using the relevance tool, yielding 20 studies for review. Four categories of interventions were identified: Pharmacotherapy, Cognitive Rehabilitation, Patient Education and Other. The majority of studies were weak, however there is evidence to support the effectiveness of patient education interventions. CONCLUSIONS: There are few rigorous studies evaluating treatment of MTBI. Limitations of the current literature are presented.