Keeping the brain in the zone. Applying the severe head injury guidelines to practice

Providing care to the TBI patient population with severe injuries requires an integrated multidisciplinary approach. The team in clinical practice must be willing to examine its own practice, seek out the latest information on TBI, and critically analyze the information. Members must be open to changing their own practice when the data presented support change. Interventions based on scientific evidence provide a strong foundation for delivering care. The standardization of these interventions into protocols facilitates team communication and coordination. Measuring outcomes is imperative for evaluating the effectiveness of current treatment algorithms. Changes in treatment practice should be based on the measured outcomes and advances in the scientific literature.