Minor brain injury: new insights for early nursing care

More than a million people sustain a minor brain injury (MBI) annually. Recent research shows serious changes in cognitive ability are common consequences of such injuries, yet management of MBI sequelae receives little attention. Expanded assessment and treatment parameters are needed to capture and treat the subtle cognitive changes seen in this type of brain injury. Impaired directed attention (DA) is the most common problem after MBI. Individuals with compromised DA are distractible, impulsive, and often irritable. A new behavioral nursing model of MBI allows targeted assessment of distractibility, impulsivity, and irritability as aspects of impaired attention. The model also offers interventions to conserve or restore attention, which should prove helpful to both patients and practitioners.