Traumatic Brain Injury in the Workplace.

Area of Science:

• Trauma surgery
• Neurology
• Occupational health

Background:

• Work-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are under-documented, with existing studies lacking clinical detail.
• Previous research often relies on worker databases, which do not capture crucial patient information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize hospitalized patients diagnosed with work-related TBIs.
• To describe the clinical profiles and outcomes of individuals with occupational TBIs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Québec provincial trauma and TBI program databases (2000-2014).
• Extracted data from medical records of patients admitted to a level 1 trauma center.
• Employed descriptive statistics to summarize patient characteristics and injury patterns.

Main Results:

• Analyzed 285 cases of work-related TBI.
• Patients were middle-aged (mean 43.6 years), predominantly male (18:1 ratio), and often from the construction industry.
• Falls were the most common cause; 76.8% had mild TBI, 14% needed neurosurgery, and 8.1% died. Skull fractures were common on CT scans.

Conclusions:

• Most work-related TBIs are mild, but some necessitate neurosurgical intervention, and mortality is non-negligible.
• Enhanced fall prevention and safety practices, particularly in construction, are crucial.
• Accurate documentation of helmet use could aid in reducing the burden of occupational TBIs.