Finding the Best Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury
The single-largest and most important study ever done on brain injury, one that could determine how these injuries will be treated over the the next 10 to 20 years, is underway.
The study has a budget of $4.3 million that must be shared between11 health-care facilities in the United States and Canada as they search to identify the most effective rehabilitation therapies for traumatic brain injuries.
The five-year study will collect detailed records on more than 2,300 patients nationwide who have suffered moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries. Such injuries occur when the head violently strikes an object, as in a fall or a car crash, or when an object, such as a bullet, pierces the skull and enters brain tissue.
The important factor about this study is that it does not seek to test experimental treatments against the current standard of care. It will, instead, concentrate on the real world, to find out which of the current treatments produce the best results. Researchers will keep daily logs of the care patients receive, which could include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and psychotherapy.
Another important factor is that this study will concentrate on the entire population, rather than on one particular group, such as veterans.