Systems of traumatic brain injury Centers Mark 30 Years of Research

Newswise – November 7, 2018 – Over the last thirty years, the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Center program (TBIMSC) has served as a key research source to improve care and treatment outcomes for patients and families affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI). The history and research achievements of TBIMSC have been discussed in the November / December issue Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (JHTR). The official journal Brain Injury Association of America, JHTR is published in the portfolio of Lippincott by Wolters Kluwer.

"For the 30th anniversary of the TBIMSC program, this article highlights the many achievements of this well-established, multi-center TBI research consortium," wrote Dr. Marcel P. Dijkers of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City and colleagues. In a special article, the authors focus on the latest research activities of the TBIMSC program – including its long-term national database and efforts to "translate" the progress of research into improving the care and rehabilitation of patients with TBI.

Thirty years of joint research to improve TBI results

Trauma centers for the treatment of brain injuries were founded by the National Institute for Disability, Independent Nutrition and Rehabilitation (NIDILRR) in 1987. In order to improve health care – especially in the field of rehabilitation – and treatment outcomes in patients with moderate or severe TBI. The original objective of the TBIMSC program was to demonstrate the value of coordinated medical, social and professional services for this group of patients, a group that was previously placed in psychiatric hospitals or other long-term care settings.

There are currently 16 financed TBIMSC projects in the United States. All these institutions conduct research activities related to clinical care for patients with TBI, including emergency, acute, neurosurgical and stationary and outpatient rehabilitation services. TBIMSC perform site-specific and collaborative research to build evidence base for progress in care and outcomes for patients with TBI. In the last decade, the TBIMSC program collaborated with research centers of the Department of Veterans of Political Affairs, focusing on TBI as a "signaling injury" of wars in the Middle East.

The main element of the program's mission is the creation and maintenance of the national TBI database. The database contains information on all eligible adult patients with moderate to severe TBI in each TBIMSC institution. Normalized data is collected at the time of the initial injury, once, two and five years after the injury, and then every five years. The first group of patients recently completed their 25-year follow-up period.

Since 1989, the TBIMSC Institutions have distributed approximately 16,500 patients to the national TBI database, building an extremely rich source of data to answer clinical questions and assess long-term results after TBI. Current efforts continue to evaluate and extend the quality and value of the collected data.

Over the years, TBIMSC has produced hundreds of research projects developing the field of TBI care. The scope of research is wide and the results include not only long-term health and functioning, but also social participation, employment and quality of life. Research also focused on new approaches to solving problems such as sleep and fatigue, emotional dysregulation as well as memory and cognitive impairment.

Emerging initiatives include attempts to identify genetic or other factors to help understand why some patients with moderate to severe TBI perform better than others. TBIMSC also collaborate with another NIDILRR initiative, the Center of Modeling Systems Excellence, using different strategies to ensure that research is "relevant and available" for people with disabilities and their families, as well as for researchers, clinicians, decision makers, and advocacy groups.

The TBIMSC program contains the largest research database for TBI in the world. Researchers continue to learn from the collected data in their efforts to develop this field. By focusing on the importance for stakeholders, TBIMSC have "and continues to improve the results for people with TBI.

Click here to read "Thirty Years of the National Institute for Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research on traumatic brain injuries Model systems Research Center – update "

DOI: 10.1097 / HTR.0000000000000454

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ABOUT TheJournal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation

Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitationis a leading, peer-reviewed material that provides current information on the clinical management and rehabilitation of people with traumatic brain injuries. Six issues each year aspire to a vision of "knowledge informing about care" and cover a wide range of articles, current problems, comments and special functions. This is the official journal of The Brain Injury Association of America.

About the Brain Injury Association in America

The Brain Injury Association of America is the oldest and largest organization in the world dealing with brain injuries. Our mission is to increase awareness, research, treatment and education, and improve the quality of life of all people affected by brain damage. Through a sustainable campaign, we bring help, hope and healing to millions of people living with brain damage, their families and professionals who serve them.

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