Workers’ comp/disability management
CDC releases data on traumatic brain injury
80,000 Americans permanently disabled annually
One American sustains a brain injury every 15 seconds. A staggering 80,000 of those, or nine people every hour, experience the onset of long-term disability following hospitalizations for traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to recently released statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.
This marks the first time national TBI incidence data have been analyzed for their impact on the health care system and society and released to the public, notes Richard J. Waxweiler, PhD. Waxweiler is director of the division of acute care, rehabilitation research and disability prevention at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC. Using data from a national database for 1995-96, the findings presented at a recent press conference in Atlanta include these:
• 1 million Americans are treated and released from hospital emergency departments for TBI each year.
• 230,000 people are hospitalized each year for TBI and survive.
• 50,000 people die each year from TBI.
• 5.3 million, or 2% of the total population of the United States, are living today with disability resulting from a previous hospitalization for TBI.
• The risk of TBI is highest for adolescents and young adults.
• The risk of TBI is twice as great for males as females.
• The leading causes of TBI are motor vehicle crashes, violence, and falls.
• Falls are the leading cause of TBI in adults over age 65.
• Transportation injuries are the leading cause of TBI in persons ages 5 to 64.
TBI patients and their families desperately need information about the potential long-term consequences of brain injury and where to turn for help, says Allan Bergman, chief executive officer of the Brain Injury Association in Alexan dria, VA. "This is truly a silent epidemic. Few physicians and fewer Americans are aware of how many lives are touched by TBI," he says, "and physicians don’t do a good job educating patients about TBI. Patients are released without adequate evaluation and follow up. They’re given a head injury checklist, and most are never seen again. Years later, these individuals may end up with cognitive impairments, learning disabilities, or in the criminal justice system, and no one ever makes the connection between their current problems and their past TBI." (See box, below.)
Bergman says he hopes the new data will draw the attention of physicians and the community to the importance of accurate diagnosis and treatment. "How many coaches have watched a young athlete take a blow to the head, dusted him off, and sent him right back out on the field?"
The CDC plans to release a pamphlet, "Facts About Brain Injury" sometime soon, he says. In the meantime, the data and pamphlet are available on the CDC Web’s site: www.cdc.gov.
(Editor’s note: The next issue of Case Manage ment Advisor will discuss accessibility planning and the Brain Injury Trust, available in 14 states to offset clients’ out-of-pocket expenses for assistive technology and home modifications. Also, look for details on building an accessibility team to develop a plan to meet your clients’ needs.)
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