Head injury in the United Kingdom

This paper reviews aspects of head injury management and research in the United Kingdom (UK). We discuss evidence about the scale and etiology of head injury in Britain and how this information has supported a triage-based approach, incorporating risk analysis. A Cohesive organization based upon nationally accepted, yet regionally flexible head injury management guidelines is important. Research in the United Kingdom has clarified the effect of head injury on the brain and how this can be reduced. This clarification follows from improved understanding of the neurobiology of injury, of secondary damage and recovery, and information gained from new techniques aimed at investigating events in patients. Outcome is an important perspective and we highlight the increasing focus upon recovery and the extent of disability after so called mild head injury. Although we retain a UK perspective, comparisons with aspects of European head injury emphasize the increasing importance of an international approach in the future.