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Published on: August 16, 2019
Local and global challenges in pediatric traumatic brain injury outcome and rehabilitation assessment
L E Schrieff-Elson1, N Steenkamp2, M I Hendricks2
1ACSENT Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. leigh.schrieff-elson@uct.ac.za.
Insights
Predicting outcomes for pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is complex due to varied global and local factors. This study discusses challenges in assessing TBI outcomes and rehabilitation for children worldwide.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neurology
- Public health
- Rehabilitation medicine
Background:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) significantly impacts child morbidity and mortality globally.
- Predicting outcomes in pediatric TBI is difficult due to diverse influencing factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and discuss global and local challenges in assessing outcomes after pediatric TBI.
- To highlight difficulties in evaluating rehabilitation effectiveness for children with TBI.
Main Methods:
- Review of global and local factors affecting pediatric TBI outcome prediction.
- Analysis of challenges in rehabilitation assessment for pediatric TBI.
- Discussion of methodological limitations and access disparities.
Main Results:
- Outcome prediction is hindered by patient/injury heterogeneity, research methodology, and sociodemographic/cultural factors.
- Rehabilitation assessment faces challenges from methodological limits, unequal access, and service scarcity.
Conclusions:
- Assessing pediatric TBI outcomes and rehabilitation requires addressing both universal and context-specific challenges.
- Improved strategies are needed to overcome disparities and enhance care for children with TBI globally.
Abstract:
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health problem associated with high morbidity and mortality rates in children in both high- and low- and middle-income countries. Predicting outcome after pediatric TBI is challenging given the wide range of injury and non-injury-related factors which may have an impact. Some of these factors are relevant globally (like heterogeneity in patient and injury-related factors and research methodology) and others are more specific to local contexts (like sociodemographic and cultural factors). The assessment of rehabilitation outcomes post-TBI are similarly challenging given the various methodological limitations, disparities in access to rehabilitation, and limited awareness of deficits, which are encountered globally, as well as the lack of services in the local settings. In this article, we discuss these global and local challenges to outcome and rehabilitation assessment following pediatric TBI.
