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Published on: September 25, 2014
Concussion Evaluation Patterns Among US Adults
Lindsay S Womack1, Matthew J Breiding, Jill Daugherty
1Division of Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia (Drs Womack, Breiding, and Daugherty); and Public Health Service, Rockville, Maryland (Dr Breiding).
Half of adults reporting a concussion did not seek medical evaluation, particularly those injured in falls or accidents. Early healthcare professional examination for suspected concussion is crucial for preventing long-term effects.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Neurology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Concussions, a common form of traumatic brain injury (TBI), can have significant long-term consequences.
- Understanding patterns of healthcare seeking behavior following concussion is vital for public health initiatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare demographic variables, concussion history, and circumstances between individuals who sought medical evaluation for a self-reported concussion and those who did not.
- To identify factors associated with not seeking healthcare after a concussion.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of data from the 2018 SpringStyles web-based panel survey of US adults (n=6427).
- Respondents reported lifetime concussion history and details of their most recent concussion, including healthcare evaluation status.
Main Results:
- 27% of adults reported a lifetime concussion; 50.4% of these were not evaluated by a healthcare provider for their most recent concussion.
- Lack of evaluation was significantly higher for concussions resulting from slips, trips, falls, bicycle accidents, being struck by/against objects, and fights/arguments compared to motor vehicle crashes.
- Concussions sustained during sports/recreation or household activities were also associated with lower evaluation rates compared to work-related injuries.
Conclusions:
- A substantial proportion of US adults do not receive medical evaluation for self-reported concussions.
- Factors such as injury mechanism and activity at the time of injury influence healthcare seeking behavior.
- Underestimation of TBI burden in surveillance data is likely due to individuals not seeking timely medical evaluation.
