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Updated: Jul 22, 2026
Investigations on Alterations of Hippocampal Circuit Function Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: November 19, 2012
Early access to rehabilitation for paediatric patients with traumatic brain injury
M P Gray1, D Woods2, I Hadjikoumi3
1PICU, St. George's Hospital, London, SW17 0QT, UK. martingray2@nhs.net.
Insights
Many children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the UK do not receive early inpatient rehabilitation. This study highlights a gap in services, impacting TBI patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Traumatology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- UK pediatric major trauma centers are developing.
- Early rehabilitation is crucial for improving outcomes in traumatic brain injury (TBI).
- This study assesses inpatient rehabilitation services for pediatric TBI patients in a co-located neurosciences and pediatric unit.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the availability and scope of inpatient rehabilitation services for pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
- To identify gaps in TBI rehabilitation care within a major UK regional hospital.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of pediatric patients (<16 years) admitted with ICD-10 head injury diagnoses.
- Data collected on patient presentation, interventions, rehabilitation, and follow-up.
- Analysis of service provision based on TBI severity.
Main Results:
- 146 pediatric TBI patients identified; over 50% had traumatic brain lesions on CT scans.
- 56% of severe TBI cases received neurodisability team assessment, decreasing to 15% for moderate and 5% for mild TBI.
- 18% of patients received new TBI-related diagnoses at discharge, indicating potential under-diagnosis or incomplete management.
Conclusions:
- A significant number of children admitted with TBI lack access to essential early inpatient rehabilitation services.
- Service provision for TBI rehabilitation is inconsistent, particularly for moderate and mild cases.
- There is a critical need to enhance early rehabilitation access for pediatric TBI patients.
Introduction:
Paediatric major trauma centres are being developed in the UK. As a paediatric unit within a large regional hospital that is co-located with a neurosciences centre, we conducted this study to establish what inpatient rehabilitation service is offered to patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). It is known that early rehabilitation improves prognosis.
Materials And Methods:
A retrospective review of all patients under the age of 16 years admitted with an ICD-10 diagnosis of head injury was conducted. We collected data on the presentation, interventions, rehabilitation and follow up arrangements of this patient cohort.
Results:
A total of 146 patients were identified, of whom >50% had a traumatic lesion on brain computed tomography (CT) identified and 18% had a new diagnosis related to their TBI at discharge. 56% of patients with severe head injury were assessed by a neurodisability team member, but this dropped to 15% for the moderate cases and 5% for the mild cases.
Conclusions:
Many children who were admitted with TBI did not have access to early rehabilitation.
