ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To examine the accuracy of knowledge about mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) of veterans and their friends/family members. SETTING: VA Medical Center. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred veterans and 50 of their friends/family members. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. MAIN MEASURES: A 60-item questionnaire was created by drawing both from the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory and from a brain injury knowledge survey developed for use with the general public. RESULTS: Both groups were equally able to identify true mild TBI items, but both also endorsed numerous items not typical of a mild injury. Self-reported prior TBI and receipt of TBI education were unrelated to the level of knowledge. For both groups, knowing another individual with TBI was unrelated to other aspects of mild TBI knowledge. Only 1 in 5 veterans endorsed receiving brain injury education while in the military. CONCLUSION: Results of this study may assist in the development of targeted TBI educational interventions for veterans and their friends/family members within the Veterans Affairs system. Ultimately, increased knowledge about mild TBI improves the likelihood that veterans receive care congruent with their needs and may potentially improve outcomes for those with mild TBI.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries/diagnosis , Brain Injuries/psychology , Caregivers/psychology , Friends/psychology , Judgment , Surveys and Questionnaires , Veterans/psychology , Adult , Aged , Attitude to Health , Caregivers/education , Cross-Sectional Studies , Culture , Data Collection , Female , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Neuropsychological Tests , Patient Education as Topic , United States , Veterans/educationABSTRACT
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To examine return to driving and variables associated with that activity in a longitudinal database. RESEARCH DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of a large, national database. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The sample was comprised of people with predominantly moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) enrolled in the TBI Model System national database at 16 centres and followed at 1 (n = 5942), 2 (n = 4628) and 5 (n = 2324) years after injury. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Respondents were classified as driving or not driving at each follow-up interval. Five years after injury, half the sample had returned to driving. Those with less severe injuries were quicker to return to driving, but, by 5 years, severity was not a factor. Those who were driving expressed a higher life satisfaction. Functional status at rehabilitation discharge, age at injury, race, pre-injury residence, pre-injury employment status and education level were associated with the odds of a person driving. CONCLUSIONS: Half of those with a moderate-severe TBI return to driving within 5 years and most of those within 1 year of injury. Driving is associated with increased life satisfaction. There are multiple factors that contribute to return to driving that do not relate to actual driving ability.
