Diagnosing and treating mild traumatic brain injury in children
Patricia Kunz Howard1, Susan E Shapiro
1Emergency and Trauma Services, University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
Insights
This review explores diagnosing and treating mild traumatic brain injury in children, highlighting challenges for advanced practice nurses. It suggests using alternative evidence sources due to gaps in current research for pediatric mild traumatic brain injury.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neurology
- Nursing science
- Evidence-based practice
Background:
- Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in children presents diagnostic and treatment challenges.
- Current research synthesis for pediatric mTBI lacks clear practice guidelines.
- Advanced practice nurses (APNs) face difficulties translating existing evidence into pediatric care.
Observation:
- A case study format is used to review recent evidence on pediatric mTBI.
- The review details the current state of scientific knowledge regarding mTBI diagnosis and treatment in children.
- Multiple challenges are identified in creating consistent practice guidelines from existing research.
Findings:
- There is a significant lack of clear, synthesized research evidence for pediatric mild traumatic brain injury.
- Existing evidence presents challenges for developing robust clinical practice guidelines.
- Alternative sources of evidence may be necessary for advanced practice nurses.
Implications:
- Advanced practice nursing requires strategies to manage evidence gaps in pediatric mTBI care.
- APNs may need to rely on diverse evidence sources to inform clinical decisions.
- Further research is needed to establish clear guidelines for pediatric mTBI management.
Abstract:
Review of recent evidence with translation to practice for the advanced practice nurse role is presented using a case study format for "Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Children." This "short review" describes the state of the science regarding diagnosis and treatment of mild traumatic brain injury in children, demonstrating multiple challenges to synthesizing existing research into practice guidelines. Implications of this lack of clear research evidence on advanced practice nursing are discussed along with suggestions for using alternative sources of evidence.
